(Lanka-e-News- 25.Feb.2016,11.30PM) A ten member delegation of the government of New Zealand led by its prime minister John Key arrived in Sri Lanka (SL) yesterday night on an official 3 day tour. They were accorded a reception with state honors by president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The state reception was accorded at the presidential secretariat , along with a gun salute by the forces this morning in honor of the delegation. After an official meeting with SL president and prime minster , a number of agreements were signed between the two countries.
The P.M. of NZ addressing the gathering after signing the agreements said, SL is Asia’s glowing flame .
John Key went on to say , this is his second visit to SL , and his first visit was in 2013 , when he attended the Commonwealth conference of State heads. During this tour he was able to witness the new and novel changes SL is undergoing , he observed.
The good governance and co existence concepts of the SL president and the P.M. have contributed to these changes, and SL is a model for other countries of the zone, he noted. The NZ government will extend its maximum assistance towards the SL government in its development efforts in the future , he assured.
While signing the agreement to provide assistance for training to specially develop SL’s milk production Industry, an agreement was reached to develop the co operation between SL and NZ in the sphere of wild life.
John Key also said , in order to provide higher level of knowledge and technology of NZ to SL , steps will be taken to install a milk production training center . What is aimed at by this is to make the SL farmers stronger and prosperous , and not to take over the business of this country , he added.
Today, SL has become a hub of business activity , and to augment the tourism industries of the two countries, a number of programs shall be put in place , Key pointed out.
A token was handed over by the SL president to the NZ premier gifting a calf elephant of SL to NZ. This was the second calf elephant gifted by SL to New Zealand. John Key thanked the government of SL for the gift.
John Key will be in the Island until the 27 th of this month.
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by (2016-02-25 18:44:05)
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I hope that the NZ govt reciprocate in kind the two gifts they have gotten from the SL good governance govt - 2 baby elephants.It is my hope, that becuase Sri Lanka politicians need enough wool to pull before the eyes of the public, NZ can extend an economic aid package without bank interest to educate some Sri Lankans on efficient sheep farming methods.
-- by Missi Nona on 2016-02-26
