President Maithripala Sirisena left for Indonesia this morning (6th March) to attend the Leader’s Summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) commencing on 7th March.

The Summit, which takes place under the theme “Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean”, will be participated by the Leaders of 21 IORA member States and its 7 Dialogue Partners as well as other special invitees and guests. President Sirisena is scheduled to address the Summit tomorrow morning.

During the visit, the President will also sign two agreements with Indonesia on fisheries and Small and Medium Enterprise sectors.

The official meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and the Indonesian President Joko Widodo will take place on 8th March at Merdeka palace.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will participate at the IORA ministerial meeting today in Jakarta on the sidelines of the IORA meetings and will hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts from IORA member countries.