UN ready to provide fullest support to SL

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has assured President Maithripala Sirisena that the UN is ready to   provide every possible assistance to Sri Lanka in its efforts to build as a prosperous nation where reconciliation is strengthened.

The UN will provide its maximum support, in close cooperation with Sri Lanka, to build an 

exemplary nation where all citizens can live in peace and prosperity. 

The UN Secretary General made these remarks when he met with President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations’ General Assembly Sessions.

He also commended President Sirisena’s commitment in adopting agreements set out in the Paris Convention and expressed his appreciation over implementing sustainable development goals in the development process of the country.   

Guterres recalled the tour he made to Sri Lanka in 1978 and said that during that tour he had visited many areas including Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polonnaruwa and recalled a later visit to the island nation UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 

The UN, he said, will continually provide support to Sri Lanka while strengthening the ties between the UN and Sri Lanka.

Expressing his views, President Sirisena said the Government is committed to following up on the initiatives taken for development and reconciliation, and noted the need for assistance from all countries in this regard.

At the meeting, the President invited the UN Secretary General to visit Sri Lanka to observer the current progress of Sri Lanka in the journey of achieving the development targets and progress made in the reconciliation process.