Iranian newspapers, TV give wide publicity to Lanka’s 60th National day

The Address to the Nation by President Mahinda Rajapaksa from Galle Face Green, Colombo on Monday morning became the highlight of the National Day programme of Sri Lanka’s Mission in Tehran, Iran the same evening with the President’s address in Sinhala with English subtitles being shown on wide screen in full as the first item in the Embassy’s independence day programme, before a distinguished audience.

The 60th National Day was commemorated in Tehran with a large number of Ambassadors, Heads of Missions, government officials, the Sri Lankan community in Iran and a large number of Iranians attending the Embassy function.

The President’s message that the nation’s struggle is not one between races or religions but one that should be between the present and the future; between what is right and what is wrong and between hate and “Maitriya”, was well received by the cross section of the high ranking personalities in the audience.

The 60th National Day event was held at the Chancery building according to a Mission spokesperson, in order to keep the expenditure to a minimum.

Earlier in the day, the National Flag of Sri Lanka was hoisted in the Chancery Building by the Ambassador, followed by the singing of the National Anthem.

Three of the premier national dailies of Iran, the Tehran Times, the Iran Daily and the Iran News carried four pages of supplements on Sri Lanka’s National Day with pictures of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and the Ambassador together with the messages of the President, articles relating to tea, tourism and carrying many colourful pictures of historical, cultural and tourist attractions of Sri Lanka with the supplements being subsidized by Iranian well-wishers, Sri Lankan Companies and the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

The National TV of Iran, the IRIB also telecast a speech of Ambassador M.M. Zuhair on the occasion of the National Day on its premier channel with the Iranian dailies publishing in their columns the text of the speech.

Ambassador Zuhair invited the business community to visit Sri Lanka and explore opportunities for mutual cooperation and joint investments, in commerce, industry and tourism “Iranians with their massive support to Sri Lanka at this point of time, will find Sri Lanka a specially welcome center for investments” he said.

The National Day events culminated with three videos being shown on widescreen covering the recent visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Iran, an IRIB documentary on Sri Lanka and a Tourist Board programme on Sri Lanka Tourism in addition to the President’s Address to the Nation.