Aussie PM phones MR, extends well wishes

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today telephoned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to congratulate him on the general election victory and to extend well wishes.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa in a tweet said, “Thank you Prime Minister Scott Morrison for your call this morning. I appreciate your well wishes. I look forward to continuing our strong bilateral ties and further enhancing cooperation between Sri Lanka and Australia.”

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Media Division said the two leaders have discussed several areas of mutual cooperation and expressed the desire to further enhance relations between Sri Lanka and Australia.

Commenting that there is “a lot going on in our part of the world,” Prime Minister Morrison has said he looks forward to working closely with Prime Minister Rajapaksa and the new government.

The Australian Prime Minister also inquired about the well-being of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and conveyed his best wishes.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa extended an invitation to Prime Minister Morrison to visit Sri Lanka after the COVID-19 situation is under control.

Thanking Prime Minister Rajapaksa for the invitation, Prime Minister Morrison recalled his previous visit to Sri Lanka, calling it a “beautiful country,” and said he hopes he will be able to visit again soon. (Lahiru Pothmulla)