Sri Lanka has historic ties with Indonesia

Sri Lanka has historic ties with Indonesia

Today, we celebrate the 49th anniversary of our emergence as
an independent nation.

As we all are aware, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have had historic
ties dating back to many centuries. We can proudly boast of a
culture, steeped in tradition, dating back to the great Indo-
Gangetic civilization. Both our countries share a rich cultural
heritage derived from Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Sri Lanka and
Indonesia have both experienced colonial rule, which has added
new facets and dimensions to our nations' character.

Our relationship began even before we fully gained
independence from our respective colonial bondage. The father of
our President, the late S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, destined to become
Prime Minister later, represented Sri Lanka at the Conference of
Asian Leaders, which was convened in New Delhi in 1947 by the
late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to press for
Indonesia's independence. The late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was also
a member of the drafting committee which drafted the conference
Resolution, which called for the immediate release of all
Republican leaders and transfer of power to the Republic. Having
regained her own independence in 1948, Sri Lanka steadfastly
supported Indonesia's fight to maintain its independence.

Our two countries have been in the forefront in forging closer
Asian and the third world links. We were both participants at the
Colombo Conference of Asian Prime Ministers in 1954, which set
the scene for the historic Bandung Conference of Asian and
African leaders in 1955. Together, we have been in the vanguard
of the emergent Non-Aligned Movement, ever since the first Non-
Aligned Summit in Belgrade in 1961.

The bilateral links between our two countries in the
political, economic, commercial and cultural fields from the time
we established diplomatic relations in 1950, have been very
close. Indonesian companies have invested in Sri Lanka and we
look forward to welcoming more investors from Indonesia. Sri
Lanka know-how has been made use of in the construction of low-
cost housing in Indonesia. All these measures augur well for the
development of even closer relations between our two countries
and peoples.

The people of Sri Lanka have been following with keen interest
the course of the prosperity H.E. President Soeharto has charted
for Indonesia through a firm adherence to the principles of
Pancasila. As a country committed to free enterprise, Sri Lanka
has much to learn from the Indonesian model. As countries engaged
in developing free market economies, the prospects for mutually
beneficial interaction by way of investments and joint ventures
look promising.

We have seen, in the past decade, a steady increase in trade
between the two countries, increased number of visits at both
government and private levels and expanded technical and cultural
cooperation. During the visit of the Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, last year, three agreements, namely
the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, Agreement
concerning Promotion and Protection of Investment, and a
Memorandum of Understanding on Information Broadcasting, were
signed. This will contribute a strong basis for the expansion of
our economic relationship.

I look forward to the further consolidation of the relations
between our two governments and peoples.