LI President visits Sri Lanka, Meets Dignitaries - Hoofdinhoud

LI President Hans van Baalen MEP met with leading dignitaries during a visit to Sri Lanka. On the island, President Van Baalen met with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris. At the same time he set up meetings with opposition leaders Ranil Wickremesinghe MP, Rajiva Wijesinha MP, leader of the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka (LI Full Member), and representatives of the international community in the country.

During his meetings, President Van Baalen clearly explained the case for mutual cooperation between the Friedrich Naumann and the Friedrich Ebert Foundations on the one hand and the Sri Lankan Government on the other. LI President stressed that both parties need to work together towards resuming political capacity-building in the country.

Commenting for LI E-news Van Baalen said: “Since the defeat of the secessionist and terrorist Tamil Tigers in 2009, Sri Lanka has made immense economic, social and democratic progress. The North and East of the country, which were formerly occupied by the Tigers, have returned to stability and are developing themselves well. A comprehensive programme of transport infrastructure will further stimulate the country’s economy, opening the country’s rural areas for high quality eco-tourism.”