President returns from successful visit to Belarus

Thursday, 29 August 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the island early last morning following a successful three-day State visit to Belarus. The President’s tour was the first by a Sri Lankan leader to Belarus. Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation Geethanjana Gunawardena, Chief-of-Staff Gamini Senerath, Chief Minister of the Western Province Prasanna Ranatunga and CEO of SriLankan Airlines Kapila Chandrasena received the President upon his return. During the visit, President Rajapaksa held bilateral meetings with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Prime Minister Prof. Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Belarus National Assembly Vladmir Andreichenko and Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Anatoly Rusetski. As a result of this visit, Sri Lanka and Belarus signed a number of agreements aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations. During the President’s tour, Sri Lanka and Belarus agreed to work together in a number of areas. In addition to collaborating in the economic and trade sectors, there will be enhanced cooperation in areas such as investment, education, technical development in the automobile sector and dairy production. At the discussions with the Belarusian President and Prime Minister, President Rajapaksa stressed on the importance of improving interaction and relations between the people of the two nations. Towards that end, President Rajapaksa suggested establishing direct flights between Sri Lanka and Belarus, which would help promote better people-to-people contact. Furthermore, in the conversations with Andreichenko and Rusetski at the National Assembly, a decision was taken to establish inter-parliamentary associations that would facilitate greater interaction between the lawmakers of the two countries. Leaders from both Sri Lanka and Belarus agreed that cooperation should not be limited to only a few sectors but expanded to other mutually beneficial areas. Among the areas discussed for potential future cooperation were the manufacture of tractors, trucks, busses and agricultural and military equipment among others. Additionally, monetary management, technology, power and energy and culture were also listed as possible areas for collaboration. In the area of higher education, Prime Minister Myasnikovich indicated that Belarus is willing to provide up to 250 university scholarships for Sri Lankan students to study in Belarus. Sri Lanka and Belarus signed the following agreements: Trade and economic cooperation, visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports, avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion, tourism, technical cooperation in military affairs, a MoU on mutual cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of both countries, and a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. The Sri Lankan delegation included Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Russia Udayanga Weeratunga, Provincial Council members Somawansha Kodagoda, Arjuna de Silva and Nousa Fowzie and Additional Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Kshenuka Seneviratne.

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