Congratulations to President of Sri Lanka from European Parliament Friends

Friday, 13 December 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On behalf of The Friends of Sri Lanka in the European Parliament, its Chairman Geoffrey Van Orden CBE, yesterday in a statement congratulated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

His statement said: “We have sent our warmest congratulations to the Honourable Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his election as President. We recognise the new confidence and stability and the economic growth and reconstruction that had flowed from the defeat of LTTE terrorism. We applaud the new President’s emphasis on being “a President for all Sri Lankans” and urge fresh attention to the interests and concerns of Tamils, Moslems and other minorities, as well as the majority population.

“We wish to see citizens of Sri Lankan origin in all our countries, integrating well and helping to build positive relationships with a Sri Lanka of equal opportunity for all.

“In my capacity as Leader of the British Conservatives in the European Parliament, I support and encourage the continuing commitment of the British Conservative Government to the territorial integrity and unity of Sri Lanka, to condemnation of terrorism from whatever source, and to post-conflict peacebuilding and reconciliation that are the best possible foundations for strengthening the unity of Sri Lanka. We strongly reject senior Labour Party statements that seek to exploit communal difference and exacerbate division.

“With its determination to enhance its role in the wider world beyond Europe, Britain will undoubtedly seek to strengthen its ties of history and enduring friendship with Sri Lanka. My hope is that there will be increased British investment and economic engagement in Sri Lanka and intensified cooperation in the fields of defence and counter-terrorism in addition to the confirmed expenditure on peacebuilding, de-mining, policing, anti-corruption, and reconciliation.”

Geoffrey Van Orden CBE MEP is the long-standing Chairman of Friends of Sri Lanka in the European Parliament and Leader of the British Conservatives.