Pretoria – Special Envoy to Sri Lanka and Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has arrived for an official visit to that country, where he is expected to engage in a number of bilateral talks.
The two-day visit will be the Deputy President’s first trip to Sri Lanka as Special Envoy of the President. He was appointed Special Envoy to Sri Lanka and South Sudan by President Jacob Zuma during the State of the Nation Address in February.
His appointment came at the request of Sri Lanka and South Sudan for assistance in bringing about peace and reconciliation.
Senior delegations from both the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) visited South Africa in February and April 2014 respectively. Both these delegations met Deputy President Ramaphosa and invited him to visit Sri Lanka, said the Presidency.
“We are going to listen to the Sri Lankans. We have already met them a few times in South Africa, but this time around we are going to go to Colombo and meet the government, the President of Sri Lanka and a number of other government ministers,” the Deputy President said.
He is also expected to meet opposition parties and travel to the north where conflict in that country is at its fiercest.
“We will discuss with people in the community. We will also try to help the Sri Lankans with the Truth and Reconciliation process, their own constitutional reform and make sure Sri Lanka does indeed become a stable country where they will enjoy human rights,” he added.
Deputy President Ramaphosa is accompanied by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Nomaindia Mfeketo.
He is expected to return to South Africa on Wednesday. – SAnews.gov.za
