Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, undertook an official visit to Malaysia from 10 to 12 July 2025 to lead the Sri Lankan delegation at the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Kuala Lumpur. During his remarks, he reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to peace, regional stability, and inclusive economic growth, and conveyed the country’s willingness to enhance collaboration in peacekeeping with ARF member states during 2025–2026.

On 10 July, Minister Herath met with Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya. They discussed visa-free travel for Sri Lankans and the allocation of 10,000 job opportunities in Malaysia. The Prime Minister directed relevant Ministries to expedite action to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

On 11 July, the Minister met with senior officials from the Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia. Discussions focused on the implementation of the 10,000 job quota and visa-free travel. It was agreed to form a working group by late 2025 for employment opportunities and begin steps for visa exemptions.

Later the same day, Minister Herath delivered the keynote address at the “Sri Lanka Investor, Trade & Tourism Forum 2025” at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur. Organised by the High Commission, the forum brought together over 60 Malaysian investors and tourism leaders, and was attended by the Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry of Malaysia and His Highness Tengku Saifan Rafhan bin Tengku Putra, Royal Family member.

Minister Herath also conducted bilateral meetings with Her Excellency Penny Wong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia; His Excellency Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; His Excellency Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; His Excellency Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand; and His Excellency Park Yoonjoo, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, focusing on enhancing political, economic, and labour cooperation.

Further engagements were held with His Excellency Md. Touhid Hossain, Adviser on Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Ms. Theresa P. Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines; and Ms. Allison Hooker, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs of the United States of America, with discussions centred on trade and regional collaboration.

On 12 July 2025, Minister Herath paid a courtesy call on H.E. Tun Seri Setia Dr. Mohd Ali Rustam, Governor of Malacca. They discussed enhancing tourism cooperation, and the Minister also visited key UNESCO World Heritage sites in Malacca City. He was accompanied by Mrs. Chamari Rodrigo, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka and Mr. M.I. Mohamed Rizvi, Acting High Commissioner during the visit.