Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said yesterday that his government is committed to the reconciliation process following the end of 30 years of war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military.
The president said this during his talks with the visiting Portugal Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, Rajapakse’s office said.
This is Coelho’s first visit to the south Asian nation as prime minister.
Rajapakse explained to Coelho the devastation Sri Lanka experienced under the threat of terrorism, including how the Tamil Tigers destroyed all infrastructure in the North and East of the country.
The president also said he was happy to see foreign leaders visiting Sri Lanka so that they can see for themselves the ground reality.
“It will take time to heal the wounds of war because a lot of young people died from the South and the North,” Rajapakse said while describing Sri Lanka’s commitment to the reconciliation process.
Coelho said Portugal was interested in further improving relations with Sri Lanka, adding that it wanted “deeper relations” not only in the economic sector but also in the cultural and political areas as well.
He further said that his visit to Sri Lanka was a very good opportunity not only to discuss matters pertaining to bilateral relations between Portugal and Sri Lanka but also others of international significance.
