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A Foreign Ministry official said there is a very high possibility of Sri Lanka having a diplomatic mission in New Zealand.
Curently a official delegation, led by Director General, Overseas Assets Management and Development Division of the Ministry, Pradeepa Saram, is in New Zealand.
A Foreign Ministry f official said: “New Zealand has a significant Sri Lankan expatriate community, comprising mostly professionals and students. The opening of a resident Mission will facilitate outreach to the community and pursuit of stronger collaboration in the fields of trade, education, sports, science and technology, tourism and health.New Zealand opened a resident Mission in Sri Lanka in 2021, which is an important milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
There were 16,830 people identifying as being part of the Sri Lankan ethnic group (including Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil) at the 2018 New Zealand census, making up 0.36% of New Zealand’s population.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka engage in bilateral trade across various sectors, including agriculture, dairy, textiles, machinery, and services. While the trade volume between the two countries is relatively modest compared to other trading partners, there is potential for growth and diversification.
New Zealand primarily exports dairy products, meat, machinery, and electrical equipment to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, exports textiles, apparel, tea, spices, and rubber products to New Zealand. Both countries benefit from these trade flows, with Sri Lanka providing high-quality tea and apparel products and New Zealand supplying dairy and agricultural products.
