Reaffirming the cordial relationship that has always existed between Egypt and Sri Lanka, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has extended his heartfelt best wishes and greetings to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the people of Sri Lanka for 2021. The full text of the message of greetings follows:

“As we bid farewell to this year and welcome, with optimism and hope, the New Year 2021, it gives me pleasure to extend to Your Excellency and your people my warm greetings and heartfelt felicitations together with my best wishes.

“With this good occasion, I would like to express my sincere hope that the New Year will usher in a new chapter where our ambitions and aspirations come true through harnessing our efforts to surmount the global challenges and realize a future that ensures growing peace and prosperity for all.

“I also hope that 2021 will witness further expansion of our bilateral ties in the spirit of friendship and cooperation that has marked our relations for long decades to achieve mutual benefit for our friendly peoples.

Reiterating my cordial wishes for a happy New Year, please accept my sincerest wishes for the best of your well-being and for the progress and welfare of your friendly people and all the peoples of the world”.

It is noteworthy that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka in 1957 and currently bilateral relations are experiencing a surge across many fields as both countries are cooperating and working together to overcome the diverse challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even during these difficult times, bilateral trade has gained momentum while the two countries are pursuing enhanced cooperation on several other fronts following the first round of bilateral political consultations held between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and Sri Lanka in Cairo on December 12, 2019. Egypt Air, the national flag carrier of Egypt commenced direct cargo flights between Cairo and Colombo from October 2020 while the inauguration of direct passenger flights between the two countries is also in the pipeline. Building upon these strong foundations of mutual cooperation, the New Year is expected herald greater opportunities for the enhancement of amicable relations between the countries and peoples.