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Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - 07.38 GMT |
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India's prosperity and stability will help
Sri Lanka - Sec. to President |
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been a
convinced admirer of Indian and its people
from before he rose to Premiership and then
to the Presidency. As President he has
firmly established the relationship to be
strong as never before and believes the
India ’s prosperity and stability is key to
our own well being and stability, said Mr.
Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the
President in his inaugural address to
seminar “Sri Lanka– India Relations: Vision
2025” at Sri Lankan Foundation Institute
today.
The Sri Lanka India PragathiSansadaya
(SLIPS) and the Sri Lanka Foundation
Institute (SLFI) organized the seminar to
reflect afresh on the past and present
relations between the two countries and
charter a vision for the future.
“Through the SLIPS we will be able, I hope,
to bring the best of the Indian
intellectuals to interact with our own
intellectuals and that will enable a
tremendous people-to-people contact to
flourish and both governments what ever
color they represent, will stand to gain
because people-to-people contact would be
the best way of promoting understanding and
enhancing bilateral cooperation between our
two countries,” the Secretary further said.
The Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka
Mr. Alok Prasad, a core-inaugural people
said SLIPS is an opportune and necessary
method for the development of Sri Lanka-
India relationships, and is an organization
which is well throughout and grounded on the
shared background and looking forward to a
shared future of the two countries.
He was grateful to President Rajapaksa for
the strong support given to SLIPS. He looked
forward to the activities of SLIPS to cover
the entire gamut of Indo-Lanka relationship
from ancient and historical to ravages of
colonialism, the post-colonial situation and
the development of modern partnership which
will “chart the future of both countries
comfortable in our day.”
Four distinguished participants from India–
former High Commissioner N. N. Jha, former
Foreign Secretary K. P. S. Menon, Specialist
in International Relations and Secretary of
the Foreign Affairs Cell of the All India
Congress Party Dr. Ravni Thakur and former
Editor of “Organizer” official English
language journal of the BJP and Economist
Dr. Seshadri Chari – will address the
seminar.
The Sri Lankan participants included Prof.
Sudharshan Seneviratne, President of the
National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka
Mr. D. Eassuwaran, Governor of the Central
Bank Mr. Nivard Cabraal, Past President of
the National Chamber of Exporters Mr. D.
KulatungaRajapaksa, Secretary General of the
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace
Process Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, former
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former member
of the Human Rights Commission Mr. Javid
Yusuf, Managing Director of Express
Newspapers Ltd., Mr. Kumar Nadesan and
Advisor to the President Mr. Sunimal
Fernando.
The seminar is in session.
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