French President assures support to SL's debt restructuring process

by Staff Writer 29-07-2023 | 9:19 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) - French President Emmanuel Macron said that the French Government is ready to provide the maximum support to complete the debt restructuring process in Sri Lanka as well as encourage all other partners to expidite the debt restructuring process.

He stated this when he arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday night.

The French delegation, including the French president, arrived at the Katunayake Airport, in three planes of the French government, at around 11.35 pm on Friday.

The French President arrived in Sri Lanka after the his visit to Papua, New Guinea.

A group including President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, arrived at the Bandaranaike Airport premises to welcome and hold a discussion with the French delegation.

According to the Presidential Media Division, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Macron held a friendly and productive bilateral discussions to enhance and elevate the existing relations between Sri Lanka and France.

Attention has been given to improve the relations between the two countries in specific fields.

These fields include, establishing an educational institute to develop maritime safety and security, the establishment of a French agency for development in Sri Lanka, initiating high - level diplomatic dialogue, improving the cooperation in the field of education and improving efforts to curtail human trafficking in the ocean.

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, Minister of State for foreign affairs Philippe Vigier and Jean-François Pactet, Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, were among the delegation that visited Sri Lanka.

In a tweet the French President revealed that he was working to begin a new era for the partnership between Sri Lanka and France and thereby strengthen the 75-year diplomatic relations between the countries.

The French President and the delegation remained at the airport terminal for about 2 hours and then departed for Paris at 01:44 AM.