Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Federal Councillor and the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Mr. Didier Burkhalter on Thursday (03) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate a more stronger and regular dialogue between Sri Lanka and Switzerland. The agreement was signed on ‘Foreign Office Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation’, in Bern the capital of Switzerland. The MoU was signed at the conclusion of an official visit to Switzerland, which was noted to be the first by a Sri Lankan Foreign Minister to Bern in 30 years, a statement said. Ministers also discussed on the possibility of entering into a comprehensive partnership agreement on migration between the two countries, and agreed to pursue the proposal through technical committees from both sides. Welcoming Minister Samaraweera in Bern, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, recalled his visit to Sri Lanka March 2015, shortly after the Presidential elections. He affirmed Switzerland’s continued cooperation and assistance to Sri Lanka both for the ongoing activities, as well as in new areas, including in providing expertise to the process of developing the proposed models of reconciliation by the Government of Sri Lanka. During the bilateral meeting, a number of mutually important issues were discussed by the two Foreign Ministers including exploring new avenues for further expansion of bilateral relations, as the two countries celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations this year.