-
Relief for Internally Displaced Persons: Sri Lanka thanks
Malaysia
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama telephoned the recently
appointed Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Anifah Bin Haji
Aman on Tuesday and congratulated the latter on his new appointment. The
Minister said that he looked forward to working closely with his
Malaysian counterpart for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Further, he conveyed the Sri Lankan Government's appreciation for the
generous contribution of US$ 100,000 by the Malaysian Government for the
rehabilitation of IDPs in the North.
Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah felicitated the Government of Sri Lanka
for unifying the entire country and liberating the areas which were
under the control of the LTTE for the past 27 years. Minister
Bogollagama, while appreciating Malaysia's consistent support for Sri
Lanka's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity requested the
Malaysian Foreign Minister for his Government's assistance to contain
LTTE activities identified by Sri Lanka in the region.
Referring to the Address to the Nation by President Rajapaksa the
Foreign Minister informed his Malaysian counterpart that the Government
has given the utmost priority to create an environment conducive for its
people to live in peace and harmony as one nation with pride and dignity
under the National Flag of Sri Lanka. The Minister highlighted the
importance of rebuilding the devastated infrastructure, such as
highways, bridges, schools, hospitals etc, in the liberated areas
enabling the displaced civilians to return to their original homes.
Pointing out that Sri Lanka and Malaysia enjoy strong bilateral
relations, the Malaysian Foreign Minister requested Government of Sri
Lanka to continue providing opportunities for Malaysian entrepreneurs to
engage positively in the trade and investment sector. Responding to
Minister Anifa's remarks, Minister Bogollagama mentioned that Malaysia's
single largest investment in the telecommunication sector has a visible
presence in the country. However, to further strengthen the existing
economic relations, he invited the Malaysian entrepreneurs to diversify
their investment into other sectors such as infrastructure development
and livelihood programmes in the North and the East of Sri Lanka.
Both Ministers agreed to continue their constructive dialogue in the
Regional and international fora for the mutual benefit of the countries.
|
