සෞදි අරාබි රාජධානියේ ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ තානාපති කාර්යාලය
சவூதி அரேபிய இராச்சியத்தில் இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் தூதரகம்
Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sri Lanka – Saudi Arabia Cooperation
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Formal diplomatic relations established. |
| 1977 / 1996 | First Saudi Ambassador to Sri Lanka appointed (Aug 1977); first resident Royal Saudi Embassy in Colombo (1996). |
| 1983 → 1985 | Sri Lanka embassy established in Jeddah (1983); relocated to Riyadh (1985). |
| 1997 / 1998 | Sri Lanka Consulate in Jeddah opened (Apr 1997); upgraded to Consulate General (1998). |
| Mar 2022 | First-ever bilateral foreign-ministerial visit from Saudi Arabia (HRH Prince Faisal bin Farhan). |
| May 2023 | First Joint Commission session — 63 cooperation items across 20 areas. |
| June 2024 | H.E. O.L. Ameer Ajwad assumed duties as Ambassador. |
| Bilateral agreements | Ten agreements/MoUs span air transport, customs, manpower, economic relations, trade & investment, scientific & technical cooperation, culture, double taxation, political consultation, skill verification and youth & sports. Three concluded recently: Avoidance of Double Taxation; MoU on Bilateral Political Consultations; and the Skill Verification Programme (covering 23 semi-skilled and skilled worker categories) |
| People-to-people | Approximately 150,000 Sri Lankans live and work in Saudi Arabia; around 35,000 Saudi tourists visit Sri Lanka annually. |
| Development cooperation | The Saudi Fund for Development has invested approximately SAR 1,600 million in projects and provided around US$ 408.72 million in assistance over the last decade (health, education, infrastructure, power, water). Following the 2004 tsunami, Saudi Arabia sent eight relief flights and built 500 houses. |
Bilateral trade, 2013–2022 (US$ million)
| Year | Exports | Imports | Total turnover | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 63.57 | 226.88 | 290.45 | −163.31 |
| 2014 | 73.28 | 142.67 | 215.95 | −69.39 |
| 2015 | 81.20 | 122.11 | 203.31 | −40.91 |
| 2016 | 74.58 | 135.94 | 210.52 | −61.36 |
| 2017 | 76.01 | 139.36 | 215.37 | −63.35 |
| 2018 | 71.91 | 255.86 | 327.77 | −183.95 |
| 2019 | 86.15 | 354.39 | 440.54 | −268.24 |
| 2020 | 75.63 | 187.61 | 263.25 | −111.98 |
| 2021 | 75.69 | 353.29 | 428.98 | −277.60 |
| 2022 | 97.89 | 228.83 | 326.72 | −130.93 |
Saudi tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrivals | 38,836 | 35,481 | 34,703 | 15,071 | 4,755 | 1,596 | 5,952 |