Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, has been elected President of the Sri Lanka–New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association for the Tenth Parliament.
The revival meeting of the Association was held on November 20 at the Parliament premises under the patronage of Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne. The High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka, David Gregory Pine, attended as the Guest of Honour. Several Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, and the Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, were also in attendance.
Member of Parliament Thanura Dissanayake was elected Secretary of the Association, while Member of Parliament and Attorney-at-Law Geetha Herath was elected Treasurer.
During the meeting, participants highlighted the longstanding bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, founded on mutual respect and shared interests. They discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in key sectors such as sports, tourism, trade, labour, and education.
The Speaker expressed gratitude to the Government of New Zealand for its continued support to Sri Lanka.
High Commissioner David Gregory Pine reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to strengthening collaboration, particularly in tourism, trade, and sports — with special focus on women’s cricket and men’s rugby.
Both sides voiced confidence that the revival of the Parliamentary Friendship Association would serve as a strong platform to advance mutually beneficial initiatives across multiple areas of partnership.
As part of his visit to Parliament, the High Commissioner also paid a courtesy call on Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, where discussions centred on further enhancing bilateral relations, including stronger cooperation at the Parliamentary level.
