President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ebrahim Raisi & his delegation arrived at the Mattala Airport a short while ago (April 24).

The Iranian President was warmly welcomed by PM Dinesh Gunawardane upon his arrival.

During his one-day official visit, President Raisi will inaugurate the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project.

National People’s Power Leader – Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (April 23) met the visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The Chinese delegation consisted of Sun Haiyan, Deputy Minister of the Department of International Affairs of the Communist Party of China and member of the Central Committee of the Party, Lin Tao, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Affairs of the Communist Party of China, Chen Xiangyuan, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Li Jinyan, Director of the Department of the International Affairs of the Communist Party of China, Jin Yan, Deputy Director, Wen Jun, Secretary to the Deputy Minister, Jin Enze, the Third Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, and Zhang Guyu, the translator.

The NPP was represented by Vijitha Herath, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, and Sunil Handunneththi.

The meeting, held at the party headquarters, focused on the current political situation, upcoming elections and possible political developments were discussed between the two sides.

The leaders of the NPP had pointed out the importance of creating political stability in the country to get the country out of the crisis.

The visiting delegation had been focused on the measures and organizational structures adopted by the NPP in the political field and their gaining popularity among the public.

The NPP leaders also had emphasized their relations with various people, groups, social strata and Sri Lankans abroad, as well as their policies in building the country, and the dialogue between the party structures and the public.

Indian High Commissioner in Colombo – Mr. Santosh Jha has said that Tourism promotion has been an ‘important source of economic activity’ for Sri Lanka and ‘promotion of Ramayana trail holds a significant promise.’

He said this during the official launch of the “Shree Ramayan Trails” Project organised by the Supreme Global Holdings group yesterday (April 21) in Colombo.

He added that the ‘Ramayana trail also confirms the deep people-to-people connect and shared civilisational antiquity of India and Sri Lanka.’

“I must also recall that our leaders have pledged to promote the Buddhist circuit and the Ramayana trail in both our countries in the Vision Document that was issued when our leaders – President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi – had their summit meeting in New Delhi in July 2023. I must add that this is the vision of our leaders that guides our actions today in all areas,” he added.

“Our effort to establish the land bridge, on which we have begun our joint work, promises to further provide fillip to our ongoing efforts to promote tourism between our two countries. No doubt that it will be a game changer.  It will, of course, bring many benefits to communities along the alignment of this connectivity but more specifically, it will make Ramayana and Buddhism tourism easier and more alluring to people on both sides,” the High Commissioner added.

The High Commissioner joined the inauguration event of Ramayana Trail Project in Sri Lanka along with a host of dignitaries including Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj – Treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Sagala Ratnayaka – Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor to Sri Lanka’s President, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and former member of the European and British Parliament Niranjan Dev Adhitya.

The ‘Shree Ramayan Trails’ project aims to transform nine key sites across Sri Lanka into world-class monuments, epitomizing the spiritual and historical essence of the epic Ramayana, with cutting edge technology.

From Adam’s Bridge in the Mannar Basin to Seetha Eliya in Nuwara Eliya, each site is chosen to tell a part of the Ramayana story in a way that is tangible and transformative. According to the Supreme Global Holdings group, these sites will serve as beacons of cultural heritage and spiritual introspection, drawing visitors from around the globe.

This project, executed by Supreme Global Holdings in partnership with powerful regional investors, is an investment of over USD 50 million and aims to boost tourism and bilateral ties while fusing history, heritage, culture and spirituality with technology.