Govt's policy guided by people's wellbeing -President

"As far as Sri Lanka is concerned the government's policy in respect of all domestic matters will continue to be guided by the vital interests and well being of the people of my country, and hardly requires emphasis that this cannot yield place to any other consideration" underlined President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the bilateral discussions held yesterday. with the King of Swaziland Mswati III at the Presidential Secretariat.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa

King Mswati III sharing this view explained that the people of his kingdom also meet to dialogue with him on issues pertaining to their interests. On the invitation of President Rajapaksa, King Mswati III is on a three day state visit to Sri Lanka, which is his first tour to the South Asian region.

At the discussions, President Rajapaksa appreciated the support extended to Sri Lanka by Swaziland in international fora, particularly with regard to protecting the territorial integrity and the image of the country. King Mswati III upheld that Swaziland will continue to be in solidarity with its friends, especially when one is in need of support.

Describing President Rajapaksa as a "Champion of Peace in the South Asian region", stated that his efforts in uniting the Sri Lankan nation towards sustainable development through the reconciliation programme must be applauded. While appreciating that both Sri Lanka and Swaziland subscribe to the philosophy of the Non Aligned Movement, King Mswati III emphasized that as Members of the Commonwealth, the two countries needed to work together in promoting global peace and co-existence.

President Rajapaksa explaining the steps taken in the reconciliation process in post-conflict Sri Lanka, highlighted the establishment of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) as a domestic mechanism for this purpose, and the course of action taken in the implementation of its recommendations. He also took the opportunity to underscore the importance of exploring possibilities between the two countries to enhance economic cooperation and diversify trade while emphasizing the importance of encouraging the establishment of private public partnerships and interaction between the respective Chambers of Commerce.

To this end it was agreed that legal instruments pertaining to the promotion and protection of investments, double taxation and air services would be processed.

Recognizing the importance of capacity building and information sharing through technical cooperation, the two Heads of State agreed for the countries to collaborate in this regard. It was pointed out that Sri Lanka could share experience in the areas of agriculture, inland fisheries, higher education, health, civil aviation, Information Technology and mini hydropower generation through formal training placements, exchange programmes and scholarships.

King Mswati III particularly upheld that Sri Lanka had demonstrated high resilience to economic shock which paralyzed many economies world over during the ongoing fiscal crisis, and wished to learn from its experience for the future.

He also pointed out that Swaziland has a vast potential in energy and would welcome cooperation with Sri Lankan private businesses to invest in this sector.

The two Leaders agreed that this state visit would pave the way to enhanced political and economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Swaziland. King Mswati III extended an invitation to President Rajapaksa to visit Swaziland when convenient.

Following the bilateral discussions, an Agreement on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation was signed by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Swaziland Mtiti Fakudze. This Agreement will facilitate trade relations between the two countries.

The Swaziland delegation, which also comprised the Ministers for Natural Resources and Energy and Commerce, Industry and Trade had extensive discussions with the representatives of the government economic agencies, Chambers of Commerce and the private sector entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka.