(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan Government canceled an International Tea Day that was scheduled to be held on Wednesday as a mark of respect for the Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.
The country’s Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told the Sri Lanka Tea Board to cancel the International Tea Day event that was to be held in a star-class hotel in the commercial capital of Colombo.
The bulk of the tea produced in Sri Lanka is currently purchased by Iran.
“It should be remembered that Sri Lanka was unable to repay the loans received from Iran due to the economic crisis, Tehran agreed to accept tea as payment and wrote off part of the outstanding debts”, the Minister added.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and a team are due in Iran to attend the funeral of the late President Ibrahim Raisi.
