Boris Johnson discusses clean energy and Ukraine with Ranil
COLOMBO – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his government’s “continuing support for the people of Sri Lanka during their current economic difficulties” in a phone call with his counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday (30).
A Gov.UK statement said Johnson while congratulating Wickremesinghe on his recent re-appointment as prime minister, had stressed the “role Putin’s barbaric invasion and senseless blockade of the Black Sea has played in exacerbating global food supply issues” and “emphasized the need for the entire international community to take action against the horrors Putin is inflicting on the Ukrainian people”.
The two leaders, the statement said, had also discussed the potential for further UK-Sri Lanka cooperation in areas including clean energy and said they looked forward to working closely together in the coming years.
Loans and economic assistance through global bodies such as the International Monetary Fund or World Bank had not been among the topics discussed.
Wickremesinghe later tweeted that he briefed Johnson about the situation in Sri Lanka, and that Johnson had pledged to assist Sri Lanka in becoming an export oriented open economy.
“During a discussion with @BorisJohnson today, I briefed him on the situation in Sri Lanka. He pledged to support us especially in the fields of tackling climate change and assisting Sri Lanka in becoming an export oriented open economy,” the tweet read.
-ENCL