Japan and Sri Lanka sign 300 million yen deal to clean Sri Lanka

Japan and Sri Lanka signed a 300 million yen deal to strengthen Sri Lanka?s waste management capacity.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding under the ?Clean Sri Lanka? program at the Presidential Secretariat.

Through this agreement, Japan has provided a grant of 300 million yen (approximately 565 million rupees) to strengthen Sri Lanka?s waste management capacity.

The MoU was signed by Japan?s Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sayama (Ikuiina) Akiko, and Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Mahinda Siriwardena.

Through this grant, 28 compactor trucks will be provided to improve waste management capacity in local government institutions.

These vehicles will be distributed as follows: 14 trucks for the Western Province, 8 for the Eastern Province, and 6 for the Northern Province.

Japan?s Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sayama (Ikuiina) Akiko, stated that due to the current government?s anti-corruption initiatives, Sri Lanka is increasingly attracting international investments. She also assured Japan?s continued support for the government?s anti-corruption efforts.

During the event, the Vice Minister conveyed a message of well wishes from the Prime Minister of Japan.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its commitment to strengthening the long-standing friendship between our two nations.

“I emphasized that the anti-corruption measures initiated by the current administration will continue without compromise. Additionally, I thanked the Japanese government for its assistance in restarting stalled development projects in Sri Lanka and for its support in the debt restructuring process,” the President said in a statement.

The President also expressed his appreciation to Japan for providing employment opportunities to a significant number of Sri Lankan workers.

Furthermore, he requested Japan?s support in expanding these opportunities and called for assistance in implementing a Japan-backed project to enhance Sri Lanka?s public transportation system.

The event was attended by Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando; Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage; Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Akio ISOMATA; Secretary to the Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, SAITO Jun; Director of the Southwest Asia Division at Japan?s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Murotani Masakatsu; Director (II) of the Foreign Aid Planning Division, HIROSE Akiko; and Deputy Director of the Southwest Asia Division, IWASE Kiichiro. (Colombo Gazette)