Singapore reiterates commitment to assist Sri Lanka's reconstruction process

Singapore has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen bilateral ties with Sri Lanka and assist the country's reconstruction process to achieve genuine national reconciliation.
Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam who just visited Sri Lanka from 29 May - 1 June has said that Singapore was happy to see that peace had returned to Sri Lanka, and that during his visit to the war-battered Trincomalee in the East and Jaffna in the North, he saw the significant progress in physical reconstruction in the areas that he visited.Minister Shanmugam, who returned to Singapore Saturday, has also said that while reconciliation cannot be imposed from the outside, well-wishers of Sri Lanka, such as Singapore is looking forward to an "inclusive process that would include addressing the emotive sentiments of people affected by the decades-long conflict."
The Minister during his meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday has reiterated his government's offer of technical assistance which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had made during President Rajapaksa's State Visit to Singapore in February this year.



Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Singapore was prepared to enhance the existing technical cooperation programme for Sri Lanka under the Singapore Cooperation Programme.
The enhancement would focus on the areas of human resource development and economic development, which were Sri Lanka's current priorities.
During the meeting with Minister Shanmugam, President Rajapaksa has expressed his appreciation for Singapore's offer to assist Sri Lanka in its development and apprised the Minister of the central and provincial governments' efforts towards post-conflict development and reconstruction.
Minister Shanmugam also met the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, who has expressed her interest in cooperating with Singapore in areas of legal training and the Minister has assured her that Singapore would assist as best as it could.