TIES DOWN UNDER
Any high commissioner wants to leave the bilateral relationship in a stronger position than when he or she started
Australia’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka – Paul Stephens
Q: In the context of perceived strengths, what strikes you the most about Sri Lanka – its USP if you like?
A: Sri Lanka’s people are resilient. They’ve endured a lot over the years and recently but continue to bounce back, and do so with good humour and grace.
The country has incredible natural beauty – from beaches to mountains and forests to jungles. This offers wonderful potential for tourism, some of which is being realised but could be exploited more.
I think that the country’s cultural, religious and ethnic diversity could be turned into a huge strength if it were harnessed and used as a means to bring people together under a more unified national purpose.
Q: How would you describe the current state of diplomatic and trade relations between Australia and Sri Lanka, given our 75 year long history?
A: Bilateral relations are as strong as they’ve ever been across our 75 year history. People to people links through education, tourism, community, the diaspora and sport are the bedrock of this relationship.
I’ve found enormous goodwill and a genuine affection for Australia during my time in Sri Lanka – which is reciprocated.
Diplomatic ties were harder to maintain during the pandemic but we recently reinvigorated our three key pieces of bilateral architecture when Sri Lanka hosted bilateral Senior Officials’ Talks, the Joint Trade and Investment Committee and the Strategic Maritime Dialogue in Colombo.
In September 2023, Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts paid an official visit, which included meetings with senior ministers, as well as signing a bilateral sports MOU and overseeing renewal of our Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA).
In relation to trade, we have a solid partnership dominated by tourism and education.
I believe there’s strong potential to grow our investment relationship with several Australian companies interested in investing in Sri Lanka’s energy and resources sectors. We’re pleased that the Sri Lankan government is continuing to work towards creating a more conducive foreign investment climate, which will help bring these investments to fruition.
Q: What are the priorities and initiatives of the high commission in fostering bilateral relations between the two countries?
A: Any high commissioner wants to leave the bilateral relationship in a stronger position than when he or she started.
The high commission’s collective efforts – across interests in foreign policy, trade and investment, development cooperation, education, immigration, defence, law enforcement and culture – are geared towards strengthening collaboration and outcomes in a way that benefits both countries.
In the next 12 months, I would love to land a major Australian investment in Sri Lanka to take our defence outreach exercise Indo-Pacific Endeavour to a new level, maximise the impact of our development cooperation – including with a new programme on gender – and enhance collaboration with Sri Lanka in working for the resilience and stability of the Indian Ocean region.
Q: Sri Lanka is strategically located in the Indian Ocean region. How does Australia view Sri Lanka’s role in regional economic cooperation and connectivity?
A: Australia’s interest is for Sri Lanka to be stable, resilient and prosperous. To do this, Sri Lanka must take advantage of its strategic location on an important international trade route, close to the growing markets of South Asia – in particular, India. Enhancing Sri Lanka’s integration into regional supply and value chains would help this endeavour.
Preferential access to markets through a stronger network of bilateral and regional free trade agreements would not only improve Sri Lanka’s export opportunities but also help make domestic industry more competitive.
Q: What role does the high commission play in facilitating trade and investment opportunities between Australian businesses and their Sri Lankan counterparts?
A: We advise Australian businesses about the economic, political and social climate in Sri Lanka, facilitate contacts where needed and advocate with the Sri Lankan government on behalf of Australian private sector interests including on specific projects.
The Australian government’s trade promotion arm Austrade is represented here; it is well-placed to offer targeted business support.
Q: Given the large numbers migrating to Australia, what advice would you offer such individuals – including some through illegal passage?
A: The advice to anyone considering illegal migration to Australia is clear. Don’t try – you have zero chance of making it. That’s the obvious message from the past 10 years when not a single illegal migrant has made it from Sri Lanka to Australia.
Of course, Australia welcomes visitors from Sri Lanka and elsewhere who follow legitimate pathways – for tourism, education or to fill skills gaps in the Australian labour market.