Iran reiterates support for Lanka’s development

Wednesday, 10 November 2010 22:46 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated his country’s continuing support for Sri Lanka in the challenging tasks connected with rapid economic and infrastructure development in the new phase in Sri Lanka’s history.

Minister of External Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris who represented President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 9th Asia Co-operation Dialogue in Tehran met President Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the meeting.

Sri Lanka, as the former Chair of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue, is a member of its Troika – with Iran and Kuwait. 31 countries across Asia participated in the session in Tehran.

Professor Peiris, who conveyed warm felicitations from President Rajapaksa to President Ahmadinejad, expressed appreciation of Iran’s support at a difficult time, when Sri Lanka had the benefit of an interest free credit facility which Iran had extended for seven months for the purchase of oil.

Minister Peiris told the President of Iran that the Uma Oya and Rural Electrification Projects which were being implemented with Iranian assistance, were under way and conferred immense benefits on the rural heartland of Sri Lanka.

He informed President Ahmadinejad that he had fruitful discussions in Tehran with Iran’s Ministers of Commerce and Foreign Affairs on several aspects of the Sapugaskanda Refinery Project with a view to early finalisation.

Prof. Peiris, in his address to the Conference, drew the attention of Asia’s leaders to the achievements of Sri Lanka not only in overcoming terrorism against overwhelming odds, but also combining economic development at the level of 8.5% with social equity, in the form of distribution of the fruits of development across the country as a whole, as well as in putting in place imaginative home-grown structures as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission in response to imperatives of reintegration and rehabilitation in the post-conflict era.

Prof. Peiris was invited by the Iranian Government to participate in the media conference which marked the conclusion of the ninth Session of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue in Tehran. (www.info.gov.lk)