Sunday Times 2
German Unity day: Envoy assures Lanka of his country’s continued support
A reception to mark the 28th year of German Unity was held at German Ambassador Jorn Rhode’s residence last week.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Rhode, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka since 2016, assured Sri Lanka that Germany was strongly committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s democratic reforms, the reconciliation process and the economic modernisation agenda.
Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake, who represented the government, expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for Germany’s valuable assistance in several fields. The minister spoke in both English and German. He had studied in Germany and when he spoke in the German language, he drew the applause of the invitees.
The ambassador said he was particularly impressed by the progress made with regard to the return of the land taken over by the security forces to the people of the north and the commencement of the Office of Missing Persons – measures that have brought results. But he noted that progress on other issues had been slow.
The Ambassador jubilantly announced to the invitees the election of Germany to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for two years. Germany, he said, would do its utmost to promote peace and security in the world in cooperation with its partners.
Touching on Sri Lanka, he said, from 2017 onwards, trade relations in particular, between the two countries, boomed with bilateral trade going up to 1.25 billion euros – an increase of 37 percent from 2016. Other milestones that marked German presence in Sri Lanka included the setting up of the Information Centre of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2017. The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka commenced its operations in Colombo this year and it has connected relevant partners to promote business and investment opportunities.
Minister Ratnayake spoke of how a Sri Lankan delegation of senior Buddhist monks and laity planted a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhiya at the Frohnau Buddhist Temple in Berlin in the presence of the Buddhist clergy, diplomats, trustees of the German Dharmadutha Society and Buddhist devotees. He said he hoped this would further strengthen the 65-year-old diplomatic ties between the two countries.