A delegation led by Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee met Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in the Parliament on Tuesday (July 09).
The delegation consisted of Members of the House of Representatives of New Zealand Dr. Carlos Cheung, Andy Foster, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and Lawrence Xu-Nan.
The Speakers engaged in a cordial discussion on the parliamentary systems of the two countries and issues related to the economy. The Speakers of the two countries assured to further develop the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena expressed his gratitude to the Speaker of New Zealand House of Representatives for visiting Sri Lanka and the Parliament.
Subsequently, the delegation participated in the joint meeting organised by the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus. Addressing the meeting, the Speaker of New Zealand House of Representatives said that he would extend his support to further enhance the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in all areas such as inter-parliamentary, commercial and sports.
President of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association Member of Parliament Niroshan Perera, said that this visit will further strengthen the relationship between the Parliaments of the two countries, which have one of the oldest democracies in the region. He also said that Sri Lanka expects to further improve ties in the commercial sector including investment promotion. He recalled the relationship between the two countries in the fields of cricket and rugby.
Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, MP Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle, said that following the study tour of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in New Zealand last year, they were able to make many new recommendations for the betterment of women in Sri Lanka. She said that the caucus was able to play a big role in the legislative process regarding the protection of women’s rights during the recent past.
The delegation joined the luncheon meeting hosted by the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena along with the other representatives of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. After that, the New Zealand Speaker, who engaged in a Parliament tour, witnessed the parliamentary proceedings from the Speaker’s Gallery. Speaker of New Zealand Parliament Gerry Brownlee signed the ‘Distinguished Visitors Book’ in the Speaker’s VIP room at the Parliament.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ajith Rajapakse, Deputy Chairperson of Committees Angajan Ramanathan, Secretary of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association MP Thalatha Athukorala and several Members of Parliament were also present. Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne and High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka David Pine were also present.
