New Delhi: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya received Mr. Shohei Hara, Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), at the Parliament of Sri Lanka yesterday. During the meeting Tuesday, Mr. Hara reaffirmed JICA’s dedication to aiding Sri Lanka’s development goals, a Sri Lankan press release stated.
Key topics discussed included debt restructuring, the ongoing expansion project at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), and potential avenues for further collaboration between the two nations.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya expressed gratitude for Japan’s assistance and emphasized the government’s commitment to poverty alleviation, digitalization, and the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative.
In attendance were Akio Isomata, Japan’s ambassador, and Kenji Ohashi, first secretary and head of economic cooperation at the Japanese embassy while the Sri Lankan delegation included Ms Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ms Yasoja K. Gunasekera, Additional Secretary for Middle East & Africa, and Mr Raveen Ubeysekera, Assistant Director for East Asia in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Finance’s External Resources Department, the release noted.