The official welcoming ceremony for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on an official visit to Japan, at the invitation of the Japanese Government, was held on Monday (29) morning at the premises of the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office.

Upon arrival, the President was warmly received by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and a Guard of Honour was accorded to him by the Japan Self-Defence Forces. The President also inspected the parade.

Following the introduction of the delegations of the two countries, official discussions commenced between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding friendship between Japan and Sri Lanka, and on expanding cooperation across a wide range of fields, including trade, investment, the economy, development assistance and regional security.

In line with this, documents were exchanged between the two sides on development cooperation, including the Project for the Enhancement of Productivity in the Dairy Sector and the Official Security Assistance (OSA) programme.

Addressing the joint media briefing afterwards, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba emphasised that Sri Lanka’s stability and development, given its strategic location in the Indian Ocean, were of critical importance. He stated that Japan looked forward to further strengthening and expanding its partnership with Sri Lanka.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake observed that the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan is built on mutual trust, respect and strong people-to-people ties. He noted that the discussions with the Japanese Prime Minister marked a significant milestone in bilateral relations and stressed that Sri Lanka is committed to working alongside Japan to ensure that the agreements reached bring tangible benefits in the shared journey towards development and stability.

The President also extended his appreciation to the Government of Japan for its support in restarting 11 development projects in Sri Lanka, which had been halted due to the recent economic crisis, as well as for its crucial assistance in ensuring the success of the IMF-led debt restructuring programme.

Following the official talks, a joint statement was issued by both sides to the media.

Thereafter, the President, together with the Sri Lankan delegation, attended the luncheon hosted in his honour by the Japanese Prime Minister for the distinguished delegates.

Representing Sri Lanka at the occasion were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath; Western Province Governor Haniffa Yusuf; Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Japan, Professor Pivithuru Janak Kumarasinghe; Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy; and Duminda Hulugamuwa, Senior Economic Adviser to the President; together with a group of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representing the Government of Japan a high-level delegation participated.