Iran is prepared to build closer ties with Sri Lanka, according to Raisi
Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, made his first visit to the island nation in sixteen years on Wednesday and declared that his country is prepared to fortify its relations with Sri Lanka and other Asian nations.
During the visit, the two nations are expected to sign five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), the second such round since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran at the time, did so in April 2008.
Raisi promised to provide technical and engineering expertise to promote development initiatives in the Indian Ocean island by launching a $514 million hydro power project.
“We stand fully ready to further expand bilateral relations with all Asian countries, our neighbouring countries, and sovereign and independent states,” Raisi stated.
He continued by saying that Sri Lanka is an independent, sovereign nation that has matched Iran’s policies, allowing cooperation to forge a bright future for both countries.
Iran agreed to develop the project in 2010, but after releasing $50 million, funding dried up since US sanctions on the Middle Eastern country later that year made money transfers difficult. As a result, Sri Lanka had to cover the remaining costs.
The COVID-19 epidemic, environmental concerns, and community objections all contributed to the project’s delay.
According to a statement from the president’s office of Sri Lanka, the project would bring 120MW to the national grid and give potable water to thousands of residents in three districts and 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of agriculture.
During the ceremony, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated, “We should strengthen what unites us.” “We are all countries that belong to the south at a time when the south wants to establish its own identity and its own independence.”
He was alluding to the idea of the “global south,” which replaced the phrase “Third World” following the conclusion of the Cold War to refer to developing, emerging, or lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere.
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