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COVID-19: Korea and Sri Lanka among safest places in the world – Korean Ambassador
Korea and Sri Lanka have successfully contained COVID-19, which has made the two countries among the safest places in the world, Korean Ambassador Woonjin Jeong said.
“Korea is trying to provide tangible support to Sri Lanka to counter and combat COVID-19 this year, strengthening its cooperation to uplift public health in Sri Lanka”, he noted in a statement to mark the National Foundation Day of the Republic of Korea on October 3.
Korea, once an international aid recipient, has now become an aid donor. Korea has grown to become the first donor country recognized as such, coming from the ranks of recipient countries. Korea is thankful to the international community, including Sri Lanka for the support extended to Korea in the past. Now, the time has come for Korea to repay by joining the global efforts to assist developing countries, the Ambassador said.
Korea wishes to be a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for Sri Lanka to reach the pinnacle of national development and prosperity, he stressed.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977, Korea and Sri Lanka have come a long way together to form a cordial bilateral partnership. Based on the mutual trust and respect both countries have built over the years, the friendship between two countries will grow from strength to strength in the years to come, the envoy further said.
Sri Lanka is not only one of Korea’s priority ODA cooperation partner countries, but also one of the top five countries that benefit from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of Korea. The investment in various ODA projects and grants for Sri Lanka since 1987 is over 600 million USD. The Sri Lanka office of KOICA, which was established in Colombo in 1994 has assisted and funded commercial and infrastructure projects of Sri Lanka, thus augmenting the development of Sri Lanka, Jeong continued.
Korea has been promoting projects in the various fields such as education, transportation, water resources, sanitation and regional development in Sri Lanka. As a reliable friend, Korea is a trustworthy partner of Sri Lanka to meet the current needs of national development, he said.
Korea considers Sri Lanka as an important economic, trade and investment partner. In this context, Korea is extremely keen on boosting two-way trade and investment in ways which benefit the economies of both countries, he elaborated.
In particular, the ongoing labour cooperation also attests the close relations of both countries. Approximately 3,000 diligent Sri Lankan workers seek job opportunities annually, and around 23,000 Sri Lankan workers are presently employed in Korea, contributing to the economic advancement of both countries, the Ambassador added.
These workers transmitted as much as 520 million USD to Sri Lanka in 2019. The migrant workers bridge both countries in more ways than one, as they continue to promote favourable interests in Korea and raise awareness among the public even after they return to Sri Lanka. The expansion of migrant employment for Sri Lankans in Korea will result in furthering economic and commercial ties of both countries, he emphasized.
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The responsibility of revitalizing both the economy and the fractured social fabric falls on everyone – President
President Anura Kumara Disanayake directed the District Secretaries to allocate Rs. 1,400 billion in recurrent expenditure for the implementation of productive projects at the grassroots level over the next eight months.
The President made these remarks during a discussion held with the District Secretaries, on Thursday (27) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The President also emphasized that by developing the rural economy, the country’s economic growth could be elevated by 3% to 4%. He stressed the need to enhance existing economic opportunities and identify new sources of growth during the expansion of the economy to rural areas.
The pension schemes proposed in the 2025 budget were also deliberated upon during this meeting.
Moreover, the President pointed out that there is a prevailing negative perception of the public sector and that inefficiency within government services has contributed to this situation. He underscored the necessity of creating satisfied and effective government officials, and emphasized the need to improve the efficiency of public services.
Currently, 30,000 vacancies have been identified within the public service, and the President stated that the government plans to recruit for these positions in categories, which would complete the mid-level staffing of the public service.
The President emphasized that development is not limited to constructing buildings and bridges but also involves uplifting the fractured social structure, a responsibility that primarily lies with the District Secretaries.
Additionally, the District Secretaries raised issues specific to their districts, which were brought to the President’s attention, and extensive discussions were held on possible solutions and proposals.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Dr. Chandana Abeyratne; Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Aloka Bandara, as well as the District Secretaries.
A discussion on the current security situation in the country was held on Thursday (27) at the Presidential Secretariat between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and senior officials of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
The meeting focused on future security measures, with in-depth discussions on enhancing the Sri Lanka Air Force as a maritime security air force within the Indian Ocean region. The Air Force’s support for operations conducted by the Sri Lanka Army and Navy was also extensively deliberated.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the budgetary allocations for the Air Force in the latest national budget, as well as the current requirements of the force.
The discussion was attended by Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, and several other senior Air Force officials.
A Development Partner Dialogue (Donor Conference) related to the “Clean Sri Lanka” program, a key government initiative, was held on Thursday (27) at the Presidential Secretariat with the aim of adopting an approach to secure contributions for the said program.
The primary objective of the conference was to gather proposals and support from participating representatives for the “Clean Sri Lanka” program.
The Development Partner Dialogue, jointly organized by the United Nations and the Presidential Secretariat under the leadership of Marc-Andre Franche United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, was held under three main sessions.
Several diplomatic missions, including the British High Commission, Australian High Commission, Canadian High Commission, Indian High Commission, and the embassies of Japan, China, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, attended the event. Additionally, key international development partners, such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund (IMF), were also present.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Employment and Tourism, and its affiliated departments participated in the discussions.
The responsibility of revitalizing both the economy and the fractured social fabric falls on everyone – President
President meets senior Air Force officers
Presidential Secretariat, UN hold ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ development partner dialogue
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