His Excellency Buddhi K. Athauda, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to France met members of the France-Sri Lanka Friendship Group of the French Senate, last week at the Luxemburg Palace in Paris.
Hon. Joël Guerriau, the President of the Senate Group, warmly welcomed the Ambassador and expressed their wish to strengthen bilateral relations with Sri Lanka in various spheres with the main focus on economic relations.
Ambassador Athauda briefed the Senators about the current political situation in Sri Lanka and emphasized that democratic instincts are deeply ingrained in Sri Lankan history with the exercise of universal franchise since 1931. He further stated that Sri Lanka would at all times uphold, preserve and promote the dignity and fundamental rights of citizens, and work towards achieving social justice to create a climate favourable for peace.
During the cordial discussion that ensued, Ambassador Athauda also apprised the group of the progress made by Sri Lanka in the economic front. It was agreed to accelerate the already initiated partnerships between Sri Lanka and France in the investment sector, including assistance in urban development projects negotiated during the last few months.
The Senators also explored the possibilities of assisting in the field of agriculture as they represented various agricultural regions in France. France has the biggest utilized agricultural acreage (UAA) of Europe and is the biggest producer of agricultural goods, using sophisticated technology to yield harvests. Considering the abundance of agricultural resources in Sri Lanka, the Ambassador highlighted the need to combine the native and traditional processing style with the developed technology in France and to explore ways and means to optimize Sri Lanka’s potential.
Ambassador Athauda also explained the boost in the tourism industry in Sri Lanka highlighting the fact that Sri Lanka is a favoured destination of the French welcoming around 100,000 French tourists each year. He noted that the French tourists enjoy various facets of Sri Lanka Tourism including heritage tourism, spiritual tourism with multiple visits to beaches and tea plantations. He highlighted that Sri Lanka was in fact named as the best country to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet.
H.E the Ambassador was accompanied by Embassy officials for his meeting with the Senators.
