Sri Lanka’s water resources are unique and very important for the sustainable development of Sri Lanka, Ahmed Alisaik, Minister of Home Affairs of the United Arab Emirates said at the Sri Lanka Day celebrations of Dubai Expo.
He said that around 300,000 Sri Lankans work in the United Arab Emirates and that he appreciated their contribution to the development of the Emirates. The United Arab Emirates is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. Sri Lanka’s invaluable resources and ability to adapt to them and the interest in innovation can be seen when he visited the Sri Lankan exhibition stall, the Minister said. He said Sri Lanka receives support from the United Arab Emirates in a number of areas, including investment, energy and international cooperation which are the priorities.
Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that the two countries have a strong relationship of 40 years. Professor Peiris also said that Sri Lanka is more focused on building a blue economy using water resources and that more attention has been paid to the utilisation of Sri Lanka’s marine resources, adding that Sri Lanka is also the Vice President of the Indian Ocean Organisation.
He said that Sri Lanka was moving forward with turning challenges into opportunities and within such a context it is more advantageous to be able to participate in the Dubai Expo.
Prof Peiris said that Sri Lanka has the opportunity to present itself to the world of innovation, rather than remaining within the traditional methods.
He also said that Sri Lanka is paying more attention to Ayurveda, Theravada Buddhism, rainforests such as Sinharaja, value added products etc. “Not to mention the quality of Sri Lankan cinnamon products. Sri Lanka supplies 85% of the world’s cinnamon,” he said.
He recalled that Sri Lanka had helped the United Arab Emirates to become a member of the International Maritime Organization.
Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga, State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, Member of Parliament Madura Vithanage and Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai Nalinda Wijesinghe were also present.
The festival was graced by cultural events presented by the Channa Upuli Arts Institute.
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