Sri Lanka’s Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayke visited Nordic countries and met with his counterparts; Swedish Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson, Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Rane and the Norwegian Minister of Transport Kamzy Gunaratnam.
During his meetings with the three Ministers, Minister Rathnayake briefed them on the revival of the Sri Lankan economy and the ongoing transformations in the country, with particular emphasis on developments in the transport sector. He explained about the ongoing efforts to improve the transport sector in Sri Lanka, including on safety standards to prevent the high number of fatal accidents and the need to develop safer, a more efficient and sustainable transport system in Sri Lanka. In this regard, Minister Rathnayake explored the possibilities of bilateral cooperation with Sweden, Norway and Finland to upgrade Sri Lankan transport, highway and urban development sectors and to improve road safety standards.
During his visit to Sweden, the Minister met with representatives of several Swedish agencies and companies operating in the transport and urban development sectors, including the Swedish Transport Administration ‘Trafikverket’; the Swedish National Road Consulting Agency ‘Sweroad’; the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute ‘VTI’, and the leading rail sector company ‘Alstom’. He also met with Swedish government officials, CEO’s and other business leaders at a reception hosted by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Stockholm. In addition, the Minister visited Slussen - a major multi-modal transportation hub being developed in Stockholm.
During his engagements with the Swedish Transport Safety Institute, Minister Rathnayake explored about Sweden’s ‘Vision Zero’ concept and its applicability to improve Sri Lanka’s road safety standards and safety infrastructure. ‘Vision Zero’ is a strategy and policy framework first introduced in Sweden and subsequently adopted by many other countries with the fundamental objective of eliminating deaths and serious injuries within the road transport system.
The Minister’s discussions with the Swedish Transport Administration and Sweroad was focused on strengthening the longstanding cooperation between Sri Lanka and these institutions, as well as exploring opportunities for continued collaboration and to exchange of expertise and knowledge in transport sector management. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying strategies to enhance road safety and improve the efficiency and sustainability of Sri Lanka’s transport and highway sectors.
The visit underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with the Nordic countries in the fields of transport, road safety and urban development. It also provided an opportunity to explore avenues for enhanced collaboration, knowledge sharing and the adoption of best practices and innovative solutions to address Sri Lanka’s transport and infrastructure challenges. These engagements are expected to further strengthen Sri Lanka’s longstanding bilateral relationships with the Nordic region.
Isro?s Chandrayaan-3 launch next year: Govt
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) plans to launch its third mission to the Moon next year, the government said on Wednesday. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for the department of space, Jitendra Singh, said that the Chandrayaan-3 mission will carry only a lander and a rover. The space agency earlier planned to launch the Chandrayaan 3 mission either in late 2020 or early 2021. However, most missions were rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemi
South Korean defence minister to witness para jumping display in Agra, discuss projects during 3-day India visit
Indian Army’s paratroopers will give a demonstration of air insertion to South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook during his three-day visit to India from March 25 to March 27. Suh Wook is visiting India to hold high-level meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The event will be held on March 27 in Agra, the headquarters of the para brigade of the Indian Army. The display will involve a para battalion jumping from transport aircraft like the C17 globemaster and C130 J. Indian Army chief
Another 63 people test positive for coronavirus in Jaffna
Another 63 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Jaffna, officials said today. The National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 said that the 63 included 29 from Chunnakam, 23 from the Jaffna town area, and 23 from Kopay. All schools in Jaffna have been temporarily closed as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly is some areas in the District. Schools in the Jaffna Education Zone have been closed for one week from today. Officials said that on Saturday 88 people were found
Copyright © 2026 Colombo Gazette. All rights reserved.
Colombo Gazette is a leading news and entertainment website, covering stories related to Sri Lanka. The content consists of text based news, photos and videos and is linked to social media websites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to provide a wider coverage for its stories.
Loading comments…