The Under Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK’s Asia and Pacific Minister, Mark Field, on his first official visit to Sri Lanka since assuming the portfolio, met Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana yesterday.
Acknowledging the progress made by Sri Lanka, despite a difficult and painful past, Minister Field pledged UK Government’s continued support for the efforts of the Unity Government to implement the commitments made by it to the people of Sri Lanka. He welcomed a closer partnership with the UK to further consolidate the historic and enduring bilateral political, trade, cultural relations, including people-to -people contacts.
Recalling the shared values and interests between the UK and Sri Lanka as members of the Commonwealth, Minister Field invited Sri Lanka to play an active role to develop a new roadmap for the organization to meet the challenges and needs of the new century in the run up to CHOGM 2018 in the UK.
Foreign Minister Marapana provided an overview of the implementation of the commitments made by the Unity Government since 2015, and stated that by reforming Sri Lanka’s constitutional framework, Sri Lanka will regain its status as a stable, peaceful and fully fledged democracy in the region.
Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam and UK’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris participated in the discussions.