On the occasion of the Sri Lanka – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association Meeting
2021/4/21
Ambassador's Speech
Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of Parliament,
Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana, newly elected President of the Sri Lanka-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association,
Hon. Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon, AyuBowan, Wanakkam,
Let me at the outset wish you all a very Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous Sinhala and Tamil New Year. I hope the New Year will usher in opportunities, bear fruit and unlock potential in our close association. With these good wishes, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Hon. Speaker and Hon. Minister Pathirana for extending the invitation to attend this important meeting of the Sri Lanka-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association for the 9th Parliament.
Japan and Sri Lanka are guided by common cultural traditions including the heritage of Buddhism, and share the universal value of freedom, democracy and rule of law. As two democracies in Asia, Japan and Sri Lanka have for decades enjoyed the vibrancy of a multi-faceted partnership, for which parliamentarians of both countries have been playing crucial roles. Particularly, the Parliamentary Friendship Associations in both countries have been showcasing our resolved commitment to the advancement of bilateral relations, while contributing to deepening friendship between the two island nations.
In fact, Japan-Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ League, chaired by Hon. TAKESHITA Wataru, has actively supported and promoted Japan-Sri Lanka relations in the Japanese Parliament. The League organizes a welcome gathering whenever Sri Lankan high-level delegations visit Japan. In recent years, the League sent relief goods to the victims of natural disasters and conducted an official visit to Sri Lanka to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence.
In this connection, I would greatly appreciate it if the newly elected office bearers of the Friendship Association could renew cooperation with your Japanese counterparts and initiate closer interactions, including organizing member’s visit to Japan when the situation permits. I assure you that the Embassy is always ready to assist you in those initiatives. I firmly believe that sharing wisdom and experiences between parliamentarians would be extremely useful in further strengthening our bilateral relations and finding ways to resolve common issues facing the peoples of our two countries.
I look forward to working with this esteemed association not only to deepen the shared heritage and the convergence in political, social, economic and cultural spheres, but also to broaden our scope and pave the way to sow new seeds in our relations over the next decades to come, as we approach 70th anniversary the establishment of our diplomatic relations next year 2022.
Last but not least, today marks two years since the gruesome Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka. This morning I attended the Commemoration of the victims at St. Anthony’s Shrine. The people of Japan wholeheartedly express their deepest sympathy to the bereaved families while holding them close to their thoughts. Japan will continue to walk hand in hand with Sri Lanka to overcome various challenges ahead, the pandemic of Covid-19 for one, and together we will remain as the pillar of strength for each other.
I wish all the best and success for the Sri Lanka-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association under the new leadership and look forward to working with you all.