In interview to Jahon news agency, Udayanga Weeratunga stated: “This year we are planning to send a delegation to Tashkent to study new directions of mutual beneficial cooperation.”

He said that the friendly relations between two states started to develop in 1960s. In 1999, Nagorpitchai Sikhander was the first Sri Lanka Ambassador to Uzbekistan. In 2009, he said he handed over credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.

He said that two states became dialogue partners within the SCO in 2009, which was start to new stage of bilateral relations. He said that Sri Lanka is interested in further deepening relations with Uzbekistan both in bilateral and regional levels.