The main economic advantage that will emerge in Sri Lanka is the educated young population of the former conflicted areas, which will be reintegrated into the rest of the country’s dynamic. We are really talking about a high value workforce, which is highly educated and capable, especially in information technology (IT), Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka said.

"The government has been concentrated on restoring IT into those areas. Of course, as I said, the process in the Northern zone faces its own problems. Because of the collapse of the civil administration after 30 years of war, the Sri Lankan Army has to keep a heavy presence there. This situation cannot continue for long. The functions that it has to fulfill at the civic and administrative levels will be rolled back gradually as local capacity is developed," the Ambassador said in an interview with La Lettre Diplomatique (The Diplomatic Letter).


Sri Lanka is profiled in the latest issue of the French independent review La Lettre Diplomatique (The Diplomatic Letter): “Sri Lanka, Future Hub of the Indian Ocean Rim?”

La Lettre Diplomatique was founded in 1988. The review carries interviews of key actors in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Its articles present the insights and prognoses of experts who keep close watch on the fast-changing geopolitical and strategic landscape, and carefully analyze the stakes of globalization.

Also featured in the current edition are reports on Russia, Tanzania, El Salvador and Kosovo.

The report on Sri Lanka carries an interview of Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka on questions of reconciliation, autonomy, development plan in conflict areas, economic growth and maritime security.

Mrs. Nirmala Samaratunga, President of the Sri Lanka-France Business Council and Mr. Hervé Mascarau, Cultural Counsellor of the French Embassy in Sri Lanka, also participated in the report. They respectively introduced the country’s socio-economic realities and prospects and the cultural ties between Sri Lanka and France.

Read the full interview at:
http://www.lalettrediplomatique.fr/contribution.php?choixlang=2&id=47&idrub=221