Minister of Youth and Sports and Development Coordination and Monitoring and State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Namal Rajapaksa, was elected on Wednesday as the President of Sri Lanka – France Parliamentary Friendship Association during a meeting of the association at the Parliament.

The meeting was held under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka Eric Lavertu participated as the special guest. Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake was also present.

MP Isuru Dodangoda was elected the Secretary of the association and MPs Wasantha Yapabandara, Charles Nirmalanadan and Selvam Adaikkalanathan were elected as the Vice Presidents. In addition, MP Sudarshana Denipitiya was elected as the Treasurer and MP Hector Appuhami as the Deputy Secretary.

Addressing the meeting, the Speaker Abeywardena said that France had a long and strong relationship with Sri Lanka. It was one the first European countries to establish formal diplomatic relations following independence. Abeywardena pointed out that both countries were committed to the Action Plan of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and extended his gratitude to France for providing the continuous assistance towards the development of Sri Lanka.

“In terms of development assistance, the French Government has been a generous bilateral development partner. Even after Sri Lanka was listed as upper middle-income country, the French Development Agency (AFD) continues to provide development assistance to Sri Lanka”, he added.

Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka, Eric Lavertu said that France was committed to a number of development projects in Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the occasion, newly elected President of the Sri Lanka-France Parliamentary Friendship Association Minister Namal Rajapaksa, said that he expected to further enhance the economic, social and cultural friendship between France and Sri Lanka under his presidency. The Minister pointed out that the country attracted a large number of French tourists and hoped to strengthen Sri Lanka-France bilateral relations for the development of a number of sectors, including tourism.