UK impressed with Sirisena Govt
I have been encouraged and impressed by President Sirisena’s government, his commitment to tackle the legacy of Sri Lanka’s conflict – and his keenness to restore democracy, underpinned by a stable, secure and integrated country, UK Minister Hugo Swire said in a statement.
UK Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire, will visit Colombo, Jaffna and Galle in his third official visit to Sri Lanka starting today.
The visit is the latest in a series of high level engagements between the governments of the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka over the last year. Relations between the two countries have been reinvigorated since the election of President Sirisena in January 2015, The UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
Mr Swire will welcome the Sri Lankan government’s commitment to reconciliation and strengthening democracy since the end of its civil war, as well as progress made so far. His discussions will focus on further developing cooperation between the two countries and on UK support for Sri Lankan efforts to tackle the legacy of the conflict, the statement added.
Excerpt from statement;
During his three-day visit, Mr Swire will meet President Maithripela Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and a number of other Ministers.
Minister of State for Asia, Hugo Swire, said:
I am delighted to be visiting Sri Lanka. It is almost a year since my last visit and I am struck by how far Sri Lanka has come in that short time. Today, I see a country in which many Sri Lankans, of all ethnicities, can look forward to a brighter future than was imaginable just twelve months ago.
Sri Lanka made important commitments when it co-sponsored a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution in Geneva last October, which we hope to see implemented ahead of the June 2016 UNHRC. I have been encouraged and impressed by President Sirisena’s government, his commitment to tackle the legacy of Sri Lanka’s conflict – which has cast a shadow for too many years – and his keenness to restore democracy, underpinned by a stable, secure and integrated country.
The United Kingdom has much to offer Sri Lanka and we are determined to help, not least through our Prime Minister’s commitment to a further £6.6 million of support over the next 3 years. We want to see all Sri Lankans reaping the benefits of sustainable prosperity, underpinned by a stable and secure country.
The Minister will also visit Jaffna where he will meet the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council Justice Wigneswaran and be a guest of the PM at the National Thai Pongal celebrations.
Mr Swire will meet families living on land cleared from mines thanks to HALO Trust – a British demining charity – who have now removed 200,000 mines to make land safe for resettling displaced people.
He will finish his visit to Sri Lanka in Galle where he will attend the Literary Festival.
(Ada Derana)
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Exits Default: A New Chapter in Economic Recovery December 21, 2024
- Three dead, 46 injured as bus overturns on Hatton-Kandy road December 21, 2024
- Sri Lanka exits ‘Restricted Default’ rating and earns ‘CCC+’ from Fitch Ratings December 21, 2024
- ‘Kudu Salindu’ granted bail by Panadura Magistrate’s Court December 20, 2024
- No talks on granting Sri Lankan land that threatens India or regional security December 20, 2024
Bull shit of British Bastards…! Don’t you impressed before 100s of yrs also and invaded Srilanka like brutal animals…?
The British have of reputation of being hypocrites and when guys like Swire claim what he claims is reflection of how naive he can be. Probably he must have taken page of the archives of the Colonial rule and he ought to do so some research on the BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA documents how the colonizers maintained law and order and the Crown turned a blind eye to the events. Unfortunately there was no UNHRC then.
As for Mr Sirisena he has no clue as to whether he is coming or going. He is fighting hard to sustain the cobbled government of Ranil. Had Mahinda declared a one party state he could have remained in power for few more years like most tyrants have done in the recent past. Mahinda called for elections and Sirisena the cynic he is defected for the party to which he was secretary left the party to stand as a common candidate backed by Ranil the Tamils Muslims and the Christians.
To-date the Sirisena government has failed to publish a comprehensive report on the Presidential elections nor the General election. Anyhow Sirisena has an obligation to those who got him there Ranil and others and his loyalty is to Ranil.
What is 3 million over three years …the football pools pays out about a million pounds every week!
The UNDP is divided and its operations are controlled by the US for they finance the UNDP and its agencies. What says the UNDP about the Russians, the Chinese or the American policies. Who created the refugee problem in Syria and the problem is payback time. The refugees in Germany are raping the Germans or so we are told…..most of the EU refusing to absorb any refugees. The turks are creating a refugee problem within the refugees by claiming subsidies and not dealing with the problem.
Local politics is no threat to democracy for since `independence’ elections were scheduled. At no time politicians staged to usurp their authority to undermine the democratic process by forming an alternate form of government. The only threat to our sovereignty is through foreigners not excluding the British by their intervention in Lankan politics something that is not alien to their culture.
Unfortunately after 70 years of `independence’ only Mahinda stood against the imperial forces and assert our sovereignty something anachronistic to Swire and the likes thinking.
Enjoy your lankan hospital and like the 3 wise monkeys hear nothing, say nothing and see nothing
These evil slave drivers always wanted countries like Srilanka to governed by lackadaisical morons who kneel down in front of them. That’s how they existing in the way they are…
‘Britain is betting big on Sri Lanka with British companies competing for about one billion pounds in a range of industries and sending a multi-sectoral trade mission next month’. Well, UK Minister Hugo Swire came to SL to lobby British companies and safe guard their own interests.