By Ajith Siriwardana  

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday met with High Commissioners of India, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and Ambassadors of China, Japan and Cuba where they extended support to the new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in various sectors such as debt restructuring process and Sri Lanka’s efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).  

Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong,who met with the President at the Presidential Secretariat, reaffirmed the Chinese government’s continued commitment to enhancing bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, emphasizing the significance of on-going collaborative projects.

He highlighted the active engagement of the China Development Bank (CDB) and EXIM Bank in supporting Sri Lanka’s development initiatives while assuring that both institutions, as key commercial and bilateral creditors, will provide comprehensive assistance in the debt restructuring process.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick, who made a courtesy call on President Dissanayake, expressed British government’s strong support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and emphasised the importance of collaboration in the education sector.   

He also conveyed the UK’s support towards the IMF programme and the debt restructuring process.  

Meanwhile, Cuban Ambassador Andres Marcelo Gonzales Gorrido,who met the President, reaffirmed the Cuban government’s continuous support for Sri Lanka’s efforts in combating dengue.

Ambassador Gonzales highlighted Cuba’s success in dengue control and conveyed Cuba’s willingness to share expertise and collaborate on public health initiatives aimed at eradicating dengue in Sri Lanka.  

Australian High Commissioner Paul Stephens reassured Australian government’s support in key areas, including maritime safety, border control, and counter-terrorism efforts.   

High Commissioner Stephens emphasized Australia’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s IMF program and expressed a strong interest in promoting  

Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the country. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining economic transparency as a crucial element for fostering investor confidence.  

Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki, who met with President Dissanayake, confirmed that Japan-funded projects, such as the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion and the Terrestrial Television Broadcast Digitalization project, would resume.   

The Ambassador also reaffirmed Japan’s support for providing opportunities for Sri Lankans to study the Japanese language and pursue employment in Japan, further strengthening the long-term friendship between the two nations.  

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, praised the President’s anti-corruption initiatives outlined in his manifesto, particularly stressing the importance of digitalization in government systems to effectively combat corruption.   

He reaffirmed India’s willingness to assist Sri Lanka in implementing digitalization measures, while underscoring the continuous stable friendship between the two neighbouring nations. Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh, who met the President, emphasized that with the proposed reforms, Sri Lanka would be better positioned to attract international investments and reaffirmed Canada’s support for Sri Lanka’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the on-going debt restructuring process.