Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament, leading a Parliamentary delegation arrived in Tripoli on 16 January 2011 for a three day official visit. This delegation consisted of Hon. Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Monitoring Member of Parliament and Coordinating Secretary to H.E. the President, Hon. A. R. Duminda Silva, Member of Parliament, Hon. Lohan Evindra Ratwatte, Member of Parliament, Hon. D. M. Dilhan Tharanath Basnayaka, Member of Parliament, and Mr. Indika Karunajeewa, Senior Assistant Secretary to H.E. the President.
Hon. Namal Rajapaksa and Hon. Sajin de Vass Gunawardena called on H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qathafi, Leader of the Al-Fateh Revolution of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and conveyed the personal greetings of H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Libyan Leader. Hon.Namal Rajapaksa briefed the Libyan leader on Government policies and development programmes being launched under the vision of “Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dakma”. He also handed over a formal invitation from H.E. the President to the Libyan Leader to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time. While thanking H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa for sending his son to Libya with the Parliamentary delegation, H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qathafi referred to his strong personal relationship with H.E. the President of Sri Lanka and reiterated his desire to further strengthen the warm friendly relations existing between the two countries.
Hon. Namal Rajapaksa and the delegation called on H.E. Dr. Baghdadi ali Al Mahmoudi, Prime Minister of Libya and pointed out that attractive business opportunities in Sri Lanka have emerged as a result of the effective development programmes of the Government. H.E. Prime Minister Baghadadi thanked Hon. Namal Rajapaksa for leading the Parliamentary delegation to Libya and said that the Libyan Government under the guidance of the Libyan leader will continue its action to promote close cooperation between the two countries.
During this visit, Hon. Namal Rajapaksa and the delegation met H.E. Mr. Mohamed Mahmoud Hijazi, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Health and Environment, H.E. Dr. Al-ameen Manfour Al-ameen, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Labour and Vocational Training, H.E. Dr. Abdul Kabir Mohammed Fakhiri, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Education and Scientific Research, and H.E. Eng. Abdul Majid Al-mabrouk Al-kud, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Agriculture, Livestock and Marine. These meetings centered on exploring and identifying areas which have the potential for expanding close bilateral cooperation. Hon. Namal Rajapaksa invited these Secretaries of People’s Committees to visit Sri Lanka at times convenient to both sides for pursuing further consultation and action in this regard. While accepting the invitations, the Libyan Secretaries expressed their readiness to work closely with Sri Lanka authorities concerned for achieving the goal of enhanced bilateral cooperation.
The warm welcome to Hon. Namal Rajapaksa and the delegation from H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qathafi and the Libyan Government is yet another remarkable gesture signifying the excellent friendly relations between the two countries.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Tripoli
Libya
20 January 2011
