In a letter to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed sorrow at the loss of lives and displacement caused by the earthquake in the Bushehr Province this month.

“The people of Sri Lanka join me in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,” the President said in his letter. “Sri Lanka hopes for a speedy recovery of those affected by the displacement and stand in solidarity and friendship with the people of Iran.”