*Southern Expressway boon towards development
*Assures Japan’s continued assistance
Japan’s Envoy on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Yasushi Akashi expressed Japan’s deep appreciation and satisfaction about the rapid progress achieved by Sri Lanka during a very short period after the defeat of terrorism in the country.
Akashi who attended Sunday’s opening ceremony of the Southern Expressway with a Japanese delegation, stated this when he later called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. Akashi who said that the Southern Expressway would be a great boon towards Sri Lanka’s development and progress, assured Japan’s continued commitment towards assisting Sri Lanka’s development effort.
During the official discussions, President Rajapaksa expressed deep appreciation of the assistance rendered to Sri Lanka and thanked the Japanese government for the role played in providing continued assistance to the country.
President Rajapaksa who gave a detailed description of Sri Lanka’s future development path to the Japanese envoy, also explained the action the Sri Lanka government planned to take on the report submitted by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Akashi in turn thanked Sri Lanka for coming to Japan’s assistance during the tsunami which caused devastation in Japan.
A press release by the President’s Media Division said External Affairs Minister Prof G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunge, Japanese ambassador Nobuhito Hobo, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Japan Admiral Vasantha Karannagoda and Kenji Miyaata, Deputy Director of the South East Asia division of the Japanese Foreign Ministry also attended the discussions
Source: Daily News: November 29, 2011
