The Sri Lankan government has announced plans to establish diplomatic ties with Rwanda.

According to reports, the Sri Lankan government spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukwella, said that the decision was taken by the Sri Lankan cabinet when it met last week.

Williams Nkurunziza, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to India, with jurisdiction over Sri Lanka welcomed the development.

"Establishment of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka must be seen as a welcome development as Sri Lanka is a friendly developing country with similar aspirations as Rwanda and it expands our diplomatic relations and presence around the world,” Nkurunziza said.

"It must also be seen as a precursor to potential expansion of commercial and investment engagement between our two countries.”

Nkurunziza told The New Times that the recent Sri Lankan government approval for ties with Rwanda is the culmination of a process that began awhile back.

Sri Lanka is the world's 2nd largest exporter of tea, and is also famous for the production and export of coffee, two of Rwanda’s top cash crops.

Robinah Uwera, an official in charge of international coffee marketing at the National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB), said ties with Sri Lanka will offer economic benefits to Rwanda.

Uwera said benefits include: "Value addition and product promotion trainings for tea, textiles exportation trainings for our textile industries, spices production value addition as well as exportation.”

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