Beyond Heritage: Sri Lanka–Thailand Relations

On 3 February 2024, a delegation led by Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin signed a Free Trade Agreement with the Sri Lankan government, headed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, aiming to increase trade and investment across the two economies. This Free Trade Agreement was signed and negotiated due to Sri Lanka’s ongoing pursuit of encouraging investment and economic activity, in the aftermath of the country’s worst economic crisis since becoming a sovereign nation in 1948.

HISTORY OF SRI LANKA-THAILAND RELATIONS

Formal diplomatic relations were officially established on 20 November 1955 but the ties between Sri Lanka and Thailand date back centuries through its shared religion and extensive maritime trade in the past. Before Sri Lanka and Thailand established diplomatic relations, the two countries maintained ties as the Kingdom of Kandy and the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, particularly through monastic exchanges. When King Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy aimed to revive Buddhism on the island in the late 18th century, he sent an embassy to Ayutthaya to request monks to aid in his mission, leading to creation of the Siam Nikaya, a monastic order in Sri Lanka with its named based on Siam, the former name of now modern day Thailand. This shared history continues to act as the foundation for Sri Lanka-Thailand relations, with the two countries currently working towards renewing the 1981 Cultural Cooperation Agreement, aiming to eventually preserve and digitize ancient Buddhist manuscripts.

BILATERAL POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS

On 25 March 2025, Sri Lanka and Thailand successfully concluded the 6th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, located in Bangkok. Led by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary, Ms Aruni Ranaraja, the discussion spanned a wide range of bilateral and regional concerns, focusing primarily on any area that would be affected by the Sri Lanka-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLTFTA).

Diplomats from both countries also emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration through regional frameworks such as IORA, BIMSTEC, ASEAN, RCEP, and ACD, with Foreign Secretary Ranaraja congratulating Thailand for its leadership in hosting the BIMSTEC Summit that was scheduled to be held in April 2025 in Bangkok.

Both sides agreed to follow up on the conclusions of each topic discussed at the meeting, including reviving the Cultural Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the signing of a Tourism Cooperation MoU, with Sri Lanka agreeing to host the next round of Bilateral Political Consultations at a mutually agreed date.

STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC TIES THROUGH THE SLTFTA

The signing of the SLTFTA in February 2024 represents a pivotal moment in the bilateral relationship between the two countries, expanding the relationship from simply cultural and historical to economic and political. Aimed at elevating annual trade between the two economies to USD 1.5 billion, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) presents new opportunities for Sri Lanka to diversify exports and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in important sectors of the economy such as tourism, infrastructure, agro-industries, and financial services. The SLTFTA allows Thailand to secure an economic foothold in the Indian Ocean market, aligning with Bangkok’s broader strategy of strengthening its economic ties with South Asia.

HUMAN CONNECTIVITY

With the liberalization of flights between the two countries through the Air Services Agreement introduced as part of the SLTFTA, along with growing interest in pilgrimage routes, tourism remains a core area of collaboration for the two countries. Thailand continues to attract a steady stream of Sri Lankan visitors for leisure and religious travel, while Sri Lanka aims to encourage Thai tourists to Buddhist heritage sites located in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, and across the rest of the country.

Cooperation in liberalizing the movement of labour is also gaining traction with both governments holding discussions to formalize labour mobility agreements to facilitate safer and better regulated employment pathways, specifically for high demand fields such as healthcare and other forms of skilled employment.

HEALTHCARE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING

On 27 June 2025, a historic first meeting was held between Sri Lanka and Thailand regarding public healthcare cooperation, on the sidelines of the Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, by Sri Lankan Health Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni and Thai Public Health Deputy Minister Dej-is Khaothong, . This meeting marked a new frontier for Sri Lanka-Thailand relations and laid the foundation for a possible healthcare MoU in the future.

Discussions focused on expanding collaboration in key areas such as physician training programs, government pharmaceutical procurement, food and drug safety mechanisms, universal health coverage, and the development of medical tourism, with the Sri Lankan side highlighting their interest in exploring policy experiences from Thailand to be better informed when conducting national healthcare reforms.

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Although defense has not traditionally been a focus of Sri Lanka-Thailand relations, officials from both countries initiated discussions on a Defense Cooperation MoU, focusing on non-traditional security threats such as human trafficking, disaster response, and maritime safety.

BILATERAL RELATIONS EVOLUTION

FROM SHARED HERITAGE TO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

What began as a relationship rooted in shared Buddhist heritage has now evolved beyond cultural symbolism, towards a more structured and strategic engagement, with the SLTFTA and continued political consultations signaling a shared recognition of each other’s economic potential and geopolitical relevance. United by the past and empowered by the present, Sri Lanka and Thailand will continue to strengthen their strategic relationship, rooted in mutual respect and shared ambition.

*Neathan Fernando is a Research Assistant(Intern) from Sri Lanka at the South Asia Foresight Network(SAFN) in Washington,D.C.

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