MoUs to be signed for further cooperation
Spanish Ministers and Members of the Congress expressed their whole hearted support to Sri Lanka in further accelerating the rapid pace of development taking place in the country.
Minister of Water Supply and Drainage and Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena, who is on a visit to Spain, met with the President of the Commission on Agriculture, Food and Environment, Jose Ignacio Llorens Torres and six senior Members of the Commission, all of whom are Members of the Congress representing all political parties in Spain, to further consolidate the areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Thereafter discussions were held with the State Minister of Environment, Federico Ramos at the Spanish Ministry of Environment. Minister Ramos explained the three key elements of cooperation that could be developed as being river basin planning, the integral cycle of water management and water management in extreme situations, which would help Sri Lanka in the future. Minister Gunawardena welcomed the areas of joint collaboration and thanked the Spanish Government for the continuous efforts to assist Sri Lanka.
Meeting the State Minister of Commerce, Jaime Garcia Legaz, Minister Gunawardena extended an invitation for a joint public and private sector delegation to visit Sri Lanka in the course of 2013 to explore areas of cooperation and further investment in Sri Lanka.
Minister Dinesh Gunawardena also met with heads and representatives of the Spanish business community related to the water sector in Madrid and articulated the need for foreign investors to tap into the opportunities that existed in Sri Lanka.
Highlighting the investment opportunities that exist at present, the Chairman of the Water Supply and Drainage Board, Mr Karunasena Hettiarachchi, who accompanied Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, stated that several small and large scale projects were open for investment and Sri Lanka looked to countries like Spain to harness the prospects as part of the development drive in Sri Lanka.
Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was in Madrid as part of a three city visit to Spain which will also take him to Barcelona and Seville, where he is due to attend the Global Water Summit. He was also accompanied by Mr Yadamini Gunawardena and Mr George I. H. Cooke, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in France, which is accredited to Spain.
