Certain situations could've been handled better, GL on terminated LRT project

COLOMBO (News 1st); There is no harm in admitting that certain situations could have been handled better, says Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris in reference to the termination of the Japan funded Light Rail project in Colombo.

Remarking during a media briefing held jointly with the Japanese Embassy in Colombo to mark the 70th Anniversary of Japan Sri Lanka relations, the Foreign Minister stated that decisions are taken from time to time, they are also reviewed and that he does not think that there is harm in admitting that there are situations that could have been handled better.

Emphasizing that nobody claims to be perfect, the Minister stated that nobody claims blame, therefore the way forward in foreign relations, and even human relations is to reflect on the past 70 years of the inherently valuable relationship between the two countries.

Pointing out that maybe there are some decisions that could have been made better, the Minister said that what the country can do is to learn from the experience of the past and to decide how things can be handled with greater care in the future.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, Mizukoshi Hideaki emphasized that Japan and Sri Lanka continue to stand by one another in time of need, while fostering mutual trust and respect through their long, shared history.

He added that there will be opportunities for both countries to strengthen their ties even better in the future.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mizukoshi Hideaki presented essential medical equipment for COVID-19 to Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella on Wednesday (19).

Senior Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Takashima Kiyofumi was also present at the occasion.

The provided equipment, valued at Rs.300 million, was procured through JICA's technical cooperation “Project for Strengthening COVID-19 Response”.

It included ventilators, ICU beds, blood gas analyzers, real time PCR machine, automated RNA/DNA extractor, and ultra-low temperature freezers.

They will distributed to base hospitals in Teldeniya, Warakapola, Walikanda, Pimbura, Nawalapitiya, Hingurakgoda, Karawanella, and Avissavella and District General Hospital Hambantota.