Sri Lankan President meets Iranian leaders

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is on a two-day visit to Iran to participate in the 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Teheran met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Friday.
The Supreme Leader of Iran welcoming the Sri Lankan President has commended Sri Lanka's interest in expansion of ties with Iran and said that Sri Lankan support for Palestinian nation and respect to rights of Muslims in Sri Lanka are noteworthy values adopted by the Sri Lankan government.


The Sri Lankan President has urged Iran to extend enhanced cooperation in pharmaceutical industries, agriculture and development projects.
During the meeting with his Iranian counterpart, President Rajapaksa has discussed the Iran-funded Uma Oya multi-faceted development project in Sri Lanka.
The project, estimated to cost US$ 529 million, is financed with a US$450 million loan from Export Development Bank of Iran. . The Government of Sri Lanka is financing 15 percent of the project.
The President also has told the Iranian president that more than 1,200 rural electrification schemes are being implemented in Sri Lanka with assistance from Iran.
He also has an official discussion today with the Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman on the sidelines of the summit.
The meeting has focused special attention on Sri Lankan domestic workers in Lebanon and the President has reportedly asked his Lebanese counterpart to provide maximum welfare assistance to the se Sri Lankan workers in Lebanon.
The two-day meeting of the Heads of State held under the theme "Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance" with the participation of leaders and representatives from 120 countries will conclude today.