Official visit by Slovenian president to Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 02/16/2006 | press release
Slovenian President Dr. Janez Drnovšek today arrived on an official visit to Sri Lanka, where he met with his host, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
In talks which were also attended by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, a broad range of international topics were discussed, as well as political and economic relations between the two countries. Both sides expressed great interest in the prospect of expanding economic and trade links. After the recent visit by a Sri Lankan economic delegation to Slovenia, the discussions evinced support for the idea of a Slovenian business delegation returning the visit this year. Ports are especially important in trade, so the talks also touched on the prospects for future cooperation in this economic sector.
The hosts familiarised President Drnovšek in detail with the progress of the Sri Lankan peace process, which is being coordinated by President Rajapakse. They also talked about the conflict with the Tamil Tigers. Dr. Drnovšek supported the efforts for a peaceful resolution to the long-term disputes in Sri Lanka, and especially welcomed the continuation of direct talks between the conflicting sides due to resume shortly in Geneva. In their talks the hosts expressed the conviction that this visit by the Slovenian President, which is the first such high-level visit since the election of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, would contribute to the further development of bilateral relations between the two countries. They also expressed gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided to Sri Lanka by Slovenia following the tsunami.
