Korea-Lanka ties reach new heights - envoy

Chaminda PERERA

Korean Ambassador in Sri Lanka Jong Moon Choi commended the services of Association of KOICA Fellows in Sri Lanka in fostering more closer ties between two countries.

The envoy said the Association's services for the uplift of society are commendable.

Moon Choi made these remarks at a reception hosted for the members of the association by Korean Ambassador at his official residence in Colombo recently.

He said the relations between the two countries have reached new heights with the recent visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Korea. He said that KOICA has launched a number of projects in the country to uplift the living standards of the people.

The ambassador also noted that the experience of the Sri Lankan public servants in Korea will be beneficial to Sri Lanka.

He said Association members should play more vigorous role in enhancing more closer ties between the two countries.

He was of the view that the KOICA's fellowship programmes will help develop human resources which is integral part of national development.

Association president B.H. Passaperuma said Korea is a model that Sri Lanka can adopt for its development.

He thanked the Korean government for offering an opportunity for them to study in Korea and share their development experiences too.

Since the Foundation of Korean International Cooperation Agency in 1991, high ranking officials in the public sector have been offered two or three weeks training and one year Master degree programmes.

The Association also presented a memento to the ambassador for his service to promote relations between the two nations.

Former Association president Senaka Kumarasinghe and KOICA Resident Representative Sangwoo Cho were also present. A large number of officials in the public sector are offered training and scholarship programmes in Korea to gain an indepth knowledge of human resources development experiences of Korea.