He made these observations when he met with President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (30).

The Ambassador commended the steps taken by the new government in Sri Lanka, which introduced major changes needed in the Country as well as the Society. He also said that the Prime Minister and the Government of New Zealand appreciate the moves taken by the Government of Sri Lanka in this endeavour.

The New Zealand Ambassador lauded the President for his commitment to build a self-sufficient economy while uplifting the agricultural sector and he pledged to offer their full support to develop the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka.

The President requested the New Zealand Ambassador to provide their assistance to Sri Lanka in the fields of dairy production and agriculture. He agreed to provide support to Sri Lanka.

“New Zealand will expect to enter into several new Agreements with Sri Lanka after the General election in several fields including the health,” the Ambassador said.

The number of tourists from New Zealand to Sri Lanka has been doubled in this year and this indicates a better cooperation between the two countries, the Ambassador further said, adding that New Zealand looks forward to further strengthen bilateral ties with Sri Lanka.

President Maithripala Sirisena thanked the New Zealand government for their assistance to over 23,000 Sri Lankans living in New Zealand and also appreciated the support given for the development works in the country.

Specially, President Sirisena expressed his appreciation of New Zealand’s consistent support for Sri Lanka in international fora.