The long history of friendship and close  relations between Sri Lanka and the Philippines cover a wide range of areas, including political, economic and enduring people-to-people links. 

Diplomatic relations were established between Sri Lanka and the Philippines in   January 1951    with the Government of the Philippines opening a legation in Colombo. Sri Lanka had a Charge d’ Affaires level  Mission, accredited to Japan,  and the relations  were upgraded to the Embassy level in Colombo and Manila  in 1964 and 1966 respectively. On 1st March 1990,   the Sri Lanka government decided to close down the Embassy in Manila, while the  Government of the Philippines also closed down their  Embassy in Colombo on 30th June 1993.

In  September  1998,  a new Sri Lankan resident Mission  was  reopened in Manila,  with high  priority  given  to coordinate   aid and technical assistance programmes to Sri Lanka from the Asian Development Bank, Manila. The position of the Philippines as the founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),  was also a vital political  factor that led to the opening of the Mission.

The Philippine Embassy in Bangladesh is  concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. The Philippine’s interests is represented in Sri Lanka by an  Honorary Consul  in  Colombo appointed on 20th December 1993. There are about 400-500 skilled  and semi- skilled Filipino workers  in Sri Lanka

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Political Relations

Political cooperation between the Philippines and Sri Lanka  take place in both the bilateral and multilateral arena . However, political relations are relatively limited, although  both countries have clearly endeavoured to take advantage of available opportunities to affirm their commitment to strengthening their long-standing diplomatic and political relations. 

The following bilateral agreements have been signed between the two countries to strengthen   multi-faceted relations.
  • Exchange of letters,  concerning the proposal, to abolish non-immigrant visa requirements for the citizens of the two countries,  signed on 13th May 1972

  • An Air Transport Agreement was signed on 18th December 1976.

  • A cultural co-operation Agreement was concluded between Sri Lanka and the Philippines in 1976.  Since then,  there have been several exchanges of cultural troupes.  This agreement is now under review.

  • A Trade Agreement was signed on 8th December 1992, which  provided for “Most Favoured Nation” Treatment in Trade and Economic relations between the two countries.

The following high-level visits have been taken place between two countries

From Sri Lanka:

  1. Hon.   Sirimavo  Bandaranayake  visited   Manila in 1976 in the capacity of Prime Minister during which a Cultural Agreement   providing for the exchange of personnel  and literature between the two countries was signed.

  2. Hon  R. Premadasa   visited Manila as the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister.

  3. Hon. W.J.M. Lokubandara, the Speaker of the Parliament  of Sri Lanka visited Manila in  April 2005

  4. At the invitation of  His Excellency Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Philippines, Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka paid a visit to Manila to participate at the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum which was held from 31st July to 2nd August 2007 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).  The Hon. Minister was accompanied by Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse , Secretary, Ministry of  Defence , Chief of Defence Staff, and Senior Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  During the 14th ARF in Manila, Sri Lanka was acceded to the  ARF as the 27th Member. Sri Lanka also signed the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation (TAC) in South-East Asia in the presence of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers.

From the Philippines

In the late nineteenth century, the Philippine’s  National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal,  thrice visited Colombo and cultivated friendships.  These  marked the visits by a ranking Philippine Official to Sri Lanka.  To honour this historical link, a suite in the   Grand Oriental  Hotel, Colombo where Dr. Rizal stayed,  during his visits,  has been  named as the “ Jose Rizal Suite”

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Economic relations

Economic relations between the Philippines and Sri Lanka  have been active. The total  trade turnover  between the  two countries   has been growing significantly. As of October 2006, bilateral trade between the two countries however showed a similar scenario as in preceding years in favour of the Philippines. This is attributed generally to the composition of Sri Lanka’s  imports from the Philippines, which consist of a range of higher-valued products.

Sri Lanka’s  leading exports to the Philippines consist  of  fabrics,  tyres, tea, gloves,  apparel and clothing accessories.

The  Philippine’s  exports to Sri Lanka  consist  of parts and accessories of machines,   medicaments,  activated carbon,  cotton,  iron and steel,  perfumes, office machines,  food (malt extract)  electrical machinery, sound recorders ,  construction materials, , textiles and yarns, and chemical products etc.

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External Affairs Deputy Minister calls on the Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates

Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Neomal Perera, with the Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE

Deputy Minister of External Affairs Neomal Perera called on United Arab Emirates Foreign Trade Minister Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi. The Deputy Minister briefed her on the post conflict situation in Sri Lanka and the challenges faced by the Government. The UAE Minister assured her country’s cooperation to Sri Lanka at all times. Both parties discussed measures to enhance bilateral relations. Sri Lanka’s potential as lucrative investment destination was emphasized. The Deputy Minister invited investors from the UAE to explore opportunities.
Ministry of External Affairs
Colombo

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