GL meets UK Foreign Secretary

 

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who is on an official tour to England this week met the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Af fairs Elizabeth Truss at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Minister Prof. Peiris informed Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss that having fully vaccinated about 82% of the eligible population, life was getting back to normalcy in Sri Lanka.

He informed that tourism which collapsed during the pandemic was picking up with modest numbers and other businesses were also picking up. He stated that the Sri Lankan apparel industry which remained resilient even during the height of the pandemic was able to shift to produce other items such as Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs). Peiris stated that the Sri Lanka-UK bilateral relationship was very strong and the two countries had a lot in common, with a solid foundation to build on.

He added that Sri Lanka was an example of a robust and timetested democratic tradition where Sri Lankans began enjoying universal adult franchise 17 years before gaining independence, when it was still the colony of Ceylon. Referring to the investments successive Sri Lankan Governments have made for human resource development such as provision of free healthcare and free education up to university level, the Minister stated that some of the products of the Sri Lankan free education system were contributing to the UK’s economy. He added that the British influence was visible in every aspect of Sri Lanka’s life, be it politics, trade, finance, legal and education.

The names of major Sri Lankan companies indicate their origins and have been set up by British businessmen. Referring to the Free Trade Agreements Sri Lanka has signed with India and Pakistan, he stated that such agreements provided an opportunity to British companies and acted as a conduit to manufacture in Sri Lanka for export to these markets. Prof. Peiris also informed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had encouraged him to engage in a dialogue with the diaspora and the Government was also reaching out to the Tamil National Alliance. The Government has also commenced an engagement with the civil society organisations, released some suspects held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and is revisiting the PTA to make changes which are not cosmetic but substantial.

He also stated that the offices such as Office of Missing Persons, Office for Reparations and Office for National Unity and Reconciliation were engaged in useful work. Fo r e i g n S e c r e t a r y Elizabeth Truss reciprocated the sentiments expressed by Minister Prof. Peiris and stated that she was fortunate to have visited Sri Lanka and the two countries needed to engage more on investments. She added that the UK was developing a broader investment portfolio which Sri Lanka could be a part of.