Japanese Premier due on Sunday

[September 05 2014]

Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Sri Lanka on Sunday for bilateral talks, making it the first visit of a Japanese leader in 24 years, Presidential Secretariat announced today.

The Premier will visit Bangladesh and Sri Lanka starting this weekend for talks with the leaders of the two countries, the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Japan said in a statement.

Prime Minister Abe will arrive in Sri Lanka on Sunday, September 7 after visiting Dhaka and meeting his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. His visit is in response to an invitation extended by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during latters official visit to Japan in March 2013.

The Japanese PM and his delegation will be received at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Later the Japanese Prime Minister and President Mahinda Rajapaksa will inaugurate the pioneering construction works of Phase 2 – Stage 2 of the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project.

The two leaders will hold bilateral talks to further strengthen and cement friendly relations between the two countries. The Japanese Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit the Sri Lankan Parliament on an observation tour.

Prime Minister Abe will be accompanied by a high level delegation, which also includes business leaders from several Japanese companies notably small and medium sized enterprises, ranging from infrastructure to food industries.