COLOMBO, May 25 -- Sri Lanka's Ambassador-designate to Ethiopia, Nirmala Paranavitana, held discussions with Somalia's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdullahi Mohamed Warfa, on bilateral cooperation and ongoing consular coordination following the capture of the oil tanker HONOUR 25 in the Puntland maritime region last month.

The meeting, held in Addis Ababa, focused on efforts to address issues arising from the April 21 maritime incident involving a Sri Lankan national connected to the seized vessel, the Sri Lankan Embassy said in a statement.

Both sides noted that the incident had occurred in a complex maritime environment and that information relating to the current status of the vessel and its personnel was still being verified.

The Sri L...