Minister Dion concludes successful visit to Sri Lanka
News Release
July 29, 2016 - Colombo, Sri Lanka - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today concluded a successful visit to Sri Lanka. During his visit, he conveyed Canada’s strong interest in seeing and supporting further progress, including in the areas of constitutional reform and economic development, as well as transitional justice and reconciliation as committed to by Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council resolution co-sponsored by Canada in September 2015.
In Colombo, Minister Dion met with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, as well as with the leadership of the Tamil National Alliance, the official political opposition, and members of civil society.
During these meetings, the Minister conveyed Canada’s hope for a timely reform process and advocated for strengthened democracy and peaceful pluralism for all Sri Lankan citizens.
Minister Dion also travelled to Jaffna where he met with the Governor and Chief Minister of the Northern Province, participated in a round table discussion with civil society representatives on issues related to peace and accountability and heard from victims of the civil war.
Minister Dion visited Canada-supported development projects to witness first-hand how these initiatives are improving the lives of numerous Sri Lankans, including youth- and woman-headed households.
The Minister also announced two important projects that aim to stimulate local entrepreneurship and the delivery of government services in both Sinhalese and Tamil, the official languages of Sri Lanka. To this effect, Minister Dion witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding to guide the implementation of the National Languages Equality Advancement Project with the Honourable Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-existence Dialogue and Official Languages.
Quotes
“In Colombo and Jaffna, I witnessed promising signs of progress and I urged that much more be done in the areas of constitutional reform, human rights and reconciliation for all peoples of the Island. I was also deeply moved to hear first-hand from people who have suffered from this civil war.”
- Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Sri Lanka can count on Canada as the country continues to rebuild after decades of conflict and strife. These investments will help micro and small entrepreneurs better access financing to start and grow businesses and will make a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerable Sri Lankans, including women and girls.”
- Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
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