Prof. G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs, concluded a successful six-day visit to the United States by addressing a large gathering of Sri Lankans at the residence of Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya here. The community gathering occurred just a day after Minister Peiris met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Earlier, Prof. Peiris met with Gen. James Jones, President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser, as well as with a number of members of Congress. Secretary Clinton told a press briefing after her meeting with Prof. Peiris that she was encouraged by the progress Sri Lanka had made a year after it successfully concluded its conflict against the LTTE terrorist organizations.

The U.S., she says, fully supports Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered strong support Friday for Sri Lanka’s efforts to rebuild after a successful 25-year struggle against terrorism.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris, launched a four-day Washington visit Tuesday with Capitol Hill meetings and a spirited talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Minister Peiris, who will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on May 28, told the CSIS audience that Sri Lanka, “is in a new situation,” having defeated terrorism a year ago. He said that there is unprecedented confidence, which is the result of durable peace combined with a degree of political stability the country has not enjoyed for quarter of a century. Since then, the country has experienced no terrorist incidents, and “a change of mood in the country. A mood of optimism, of expectation.

Acting Minister of External Affairs, Gitanjana Gunawardena stated that 2,300 migrant workers would leave to the Republic of Korea shortly to begin their term of employment while another batch was expected to leave before March 2011. The Actg. Minister made this statement at the Ministry today (26th May 2010) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Korea to send workers to the Republic of Korea under the employment permit system.

I have instructed my embassies to engage with Tamil communities abroad, to boost dialogue within these communities and, we hope, improve understanding, states Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G. L. Peiris in an Op – Ed published in USA’s Huffington Post of Tuesday 25 May 2010. ‘We may not be able to bring all the former voices of the LTTE among Tamil expatriates to the table, but I hope we can bring the Tamil population with us, as an integral part of a united Sri Lankan people’.

Addressing the third in a series of Press Meetings organized in New Delhi on May 21st to announce the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Sri Lanka, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that with the dawn of new era Sri Lanka has great potential in expanding vistas in investment, tourism and other sectors that will immensely contribute towards the rapid development drive initiated by the government.

The High Commission of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom organized an alms giving to 17 Buddhist monks representing all Buddhist temples in London on Sunday 23rd May 2010 at the High Commission premises, as part of its Vesak Celebrations and also to invoke blessings on the President, the government and the people of Sri Lanka. The heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives in defending the sovereignty of the country were remembered and were bestowed merits.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over the Chairmanship of the G- 15 from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran at the 14th G-15 Summit in Tehran, Iran on 17th May 2010, the Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G. L. Peiris stated at a media briefing held at the Ministry of External Affairs on 18th May 2010.