PM says political initiative will bring about political stability

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the?National Government consisting of the country?s two major political parties headed by President Maithripala Sirisena is introducing a politics of convergence to consolidate democracy.

He says this political initiative will bring about political stability and a bi-partisan agreement to formulate a stable economic and political framework ? an urgent need given decades of highly partisan and parochial politics. In this background economic reforms in Sri Lanka have received a fresh impetus.

The Prime Minister said this while speaking at the?12th World Islamic Economic Forum?in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“The Islamic nations of the world have, by and large, weathered this economic storm far better than other countries. Being blessed with a vast array of natural resources that have been judiciously harnessed to bring rapid economic and social progress to your societies, the Islamic crescent of nations stretching from Africa to South East Asia has seen progress and prosperity for several decades,” the Prime Minister said.

He also said that Sri Lanka has long been acknowledged as having the potential to become a geo-economic centre in the Indian Ocean.

“With this in mind, we are implementing the next round of macro-economic structural reform in conjunction with an ambitious programme of infrastructural development,” he added.

He also said that the Government is currently navigating trade liberalization through a mixture of initiatives?and has?undertaken several bilateral trade enhancement initiatives, which will accelerate Sri Lanka?s access to the world?s major markets. (Colombo Gazette)