French Ambassador Erik Lavertu said he had observed a peaceful and conflict free environment in Sri Lanka for the last few months since he assumed office and he would convey this personal experience to his government without any outside interference.
The Ambassador said he believed that this situation would continue in the country in the future. He said he had earlier served in India and Afghanistan and conveyed the true situations in them to his government and people.
The Ambassador said this when he called on the Asgiriya Prelate at his Aramaya in Kandy and received his blessings yesterday.
He said he had seen the Bahmian Buddha statues in Afghanistan both prior and after their destruction and he even made attempts to prevent their destruction without much success.
The Ambassador who said that he was convinced about the essence of Buddhism added that Paris attracted a large number of Buddhism tourists including those from Sri Lanka.
He said the Buddhist temple in Pam was a very popular attraction among them.
Recalling age old friendly relations between France and Sri Lanka from the time of the Sinhala kings, he said. France was ready to grant unrestricted assistance towards Sri Lankan development effort.
At present, a French aided water supply and tank renovation project was underway in Matale. France also helped Sri Lanka in its agricultural pursuits.
A 50 million Euro project was also being implemented in Anuradhapura for archaeological conservation.
He said Kandy which is a world heritage site would face destruction unless if found a quick solution to its traffic congestion problem.
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