COLOMBO : Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy of Korea Lee Sangh-hwa met with Hon. Vidura Wickramanayaka Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and discussed ways to promote cultural cooperation between Korea and Sri Lanka last week.
Deputy Minister Lee Sang-hwa emphasised that Sri Lanka was selected as the first country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea to outreach Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, since unveiling it in December last year. This intiative reflects that Korea considers Sri Lanka to be an important and valuable partner in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lee Sang-hwa also hoped for Sri Lanka’s keen interest and attention to the Indo-Pacific strategy of the Republic of Korea which will contribute to significantly enhance the bilateral relations between Korea and Sri Lanka.
Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy of Korea Lee Sang-hwa stated that the Korean government highly values the preservation of traditional Korean cultural heritage, and the Deputy Minister also appreciated the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to preserve its traditional cultural heritage. The Deputy Minister said that the governments of Korea and Sri Lanka can work closely to strengthen the cultural cooperation between the two countries and he hoped that cultural and people-to-people exchanges will deepen and widen as the pandemic subsides.
Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Vidura Wickramanayaka said that economic growth is not the only indicator of a country’s development, cultural development encompasses a more broad and meaningful definition of a country’s progress. The Minister shared views of hosting an inclusive heritage forum between Korea and Sri Lanka with the participation of multiple stakeholders such as acadamia, governmental officials, non-governmental officials, historian and the youth. This will help the bilateral cultural cooperation move forward with mutual understanding. The ongoing cultural collaborations between the National and Educational institutes can be further promoted between the two countries in the near future.
Both parties resolved to work together to promote cultural collaborations with relevant institutes and further strengthen bilateral ties.