The Reconciliation programme undertaken by Sri Lanka under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena came in for special praise by visiting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday.
The Australian Prime Minister who was on an official visit to Sri Lanka praised the country’s reconciliation process when he met President Sirisena for talks at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday morning. Prime Minister Turnbull also appreciated the policies adopted by Sri Lanka to combat human smuggling and international drug racketeer.
During the discussion President Maithirpala Sirisena said that Sri Lanka being an island nation, the biggest problem it encountered was the attempts made by international drug racketeers to make it a hub for drug smuggling.
The Australian Prime Minister said Australia had offered to donate three Stabicraft class patrol craft to Sri Lanka and these high speed boats should be of great assistance to Sri Lanka’s coast guard services.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and visiting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbul emphasised the importance of further strengthening existing trade and investment ties between Sri Lanka and Australia when they held talks at Temple Trees yesterday morning.
During the official talks, Australian Prime Minister Turnbill appreciated the measures taken by Sri Lanka to establish a Parliament Budget office and said Australia would lend its unstinted supported towards this effort.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe who said the necessary legal framework for setting up the Budget office added that Speaker Karu Jayasuriya would handle co-ordinating work with Australia in this matter.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe who explained Sri Lankas objective of transforming Sri Lanka into a major hub in the Indian Ocean highlighted the need to stabilize free navigation in the Indian Ocean.
He said India, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia were already assisting this endeavour. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said China and India were supporting the development of Mattala and Hambantota. The two Prime Ministers also discussed the manner Sri Lanka was supporting China’s, ‘One belt One Road’ Programme.
The two Prime Ministers who also discussed the current political situation in the Republic of Maldives discussed the manner in which the two countries would assist in conducting free and fair elections in the Maldives.
Premier Wickremesinghe also explained Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Reform Process in detail to the visiting Prime Minister.
A Framework Agreement for international trade and investment was also signed between the two countries during this meeting.
Secretary Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade Mrs Chandanie Wijewardene signed on behalf of Sri Lanka while Australian High Commissioner Brian Hutcheson signed on behalf of Australia.
Ministers Malik Samarawickreme and Sagala Ratnayaka, Australia’s National Security Advisor Justin Basi and Secretary to the Prime Minister Saman Ekanayake were also associated with the discussions.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also entertained Australian Prime Minister for breakfast yesterday and Prime Minister Turnbull said it was the most tasty breakfast enjoyed during his life.
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