EU working with Sri Lanka on protection of freedom, reconciliation, rural development

The European Union is working with the Government of Sri Lanka on rural development across the country by contributing to work on, national reconciliation, the EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Tung-Laï Margue said.

In his message on Europe Day 2017, Ambassador Margue said the EU throughout the civil war and in its aftermath has worked with the community leaders, civil society, and human rights activists in Sri Lanka to press for the protection of fundamental freedoms and values and it will continue to do so. He said Sri Lankan government is mandated to chart a definitive course for national reconciliation that recognizes an inclusive and collective Sri Lankan identity.

Ambassador Margue said the EU-Sri Lanka wider cooperation is increasing and the EU is working with the Government to build on the important cooperation in rural development across the country by contributing to work on national reconciliation, including providing funding to support the resettlement of people displaced by the war and supporting language training for public officials to help bring forward the day when all Sri Lankans are able to communicate with public officials in their own language. He assured that these efforts are important and they will deepen but they can only support reform and change in people’s lives where the political will to make those changes exists.

“Achieving real change requires vision, standing up to spoilers and vested interests, and clearly communicating to all people the importance and benefits of reform. These are lessons that we have learnt from the development of the European Union. Sometimes they have been learnt the hard way. But they offer important insights into how the Government can shape the Sri Lanka of tomorrow.”