S. Korean speaker reiterates commitment to further deepen bilateral ties with SL

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and the visiting Korean delegation led by South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug have held detailed discussions on ways and means to further enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Extending the Sri Lankan government’s deep appreciation to South Korea for the enormous support extended so far with its proven technologies in construction, power generation and communications, the Foreign Minister invited for aggressive investments, more employment opportunities and technical cooperation by Korean authorities.

Minister Peiris recalled that, during a previous period, there was a special investment zone in Sri Lanka for Korean entrepreneurs and emphasized that it would be timely to consider reviving this initiative, and expressed resolve to work towards it.

In his talks, the South Korean Speaker reiterated his country’s commitment to further deepen already buoyant bilateral relations between the two countries. He underscored the stratagem of the Korean transformation from one of the poorest country into an economic giant in the region in the span of a century, and, in this context, mentioned Sri Lanka too can adopt the growth model of Korea to expand and develop Sri Lanka’s economy into a major maritime hub in the Indian Ocean.

Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapakse, State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotions and Market Diversification Piyankara Jayarathna, State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation Seetha Arambepola, State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana, Foreign Secretary Admiral. Prof. Jayanath Colombage, SLBFE Chairman Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, BOI Chairman Raja Edirisuriya, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Sri Lanka Santhush Woonjin Jeong and other officials of the Foreign Ministry and the Korean Embassy joined the deliberations.

Other than the economy and politics, the discussions also tackled means to counter the ramifications of Covid-19 pandemic as well as Sri Lanka’s progress in reconciliation, the protection and promotion of human rights and its reform process.

South Korean Speaker and the accompanying delegation undertook an official visit to Sri Lanka from January 19-21.