Sri Lanka’s Leader of Parliament and Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, met with the Cuban Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Andrés González, to discuss ways of strengthening relations between the two nations on 11th of August, 2025. Also present was Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and President of the Sri Lanka–Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Association. The meeting centred on areas of mutual interest, with both sides expressing a commitment to deepening cooperation and fostering enduring friendship.
According to the Cuban mission in Colombo, Ambassador González expressed gratitude for Sri Lanka’s consistent solidarity with Cuba over the decades. The talks followed a reception held in Havana on 4 August to mark 65 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. At that event, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Cuba, Mahinda Dasa Ratnayake, recalled that Sri Lanka was among the first nations to establish formal ties with Cuba shortly after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. “Since then, our relations have thrived and expanded to many spheres,” Ratnayake said, noting the historic visit of Commander Ernesto “Che” Guevara to Sri Lanka in 1959 on a special mission entrusted by Fidel Castro.
The talks built on an earlier meeting in June 2025, during which the two sides discussed the proposed installation of a statue of Cuban national hero José Martí in Colombo. Those discussions also explored avenues for cooperation in trade, investment, education, healthcare, culture, and mutual support in international forums. Both parties stressed the importance of high-level exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Ratnayake also highlighted Cuba’s solidarity in times of crisis, recalling the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, which claimed 35,000 lives in Sri Lanka. Cuban medical teams, equipped with medicines and essential supplies, were among the first to assist the affected communities. Both governments reiterated their commitment to expanding collaboration in key sectors and maintaining the close bonds built over more than six decades.
