A delegation led by the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Gerry Brownlee met with the Speaker of Parliament of Sri Lanka Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in the Parliament premises Tuesday (09).

The delegation consisted of Members of House of Representatives of New Zealand Hon. Dr. Carlos Cheung, Hon. Andy Foster, Hon. Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and Hon. Lawrence Xu-Nan.

The speakers engaged in a cordial discussion on the parliamentary systems of the two countries, issues related to the economy, etc. The speakers of the two countries assured to further develop the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena expressed his gratitude to the Speaker of New Zealand House of Representatives for visiting Sri Lanka and the Parliament.

Subsequently, the delegation participated in the joint meeting organized by the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus. Addressing the meeting, the Speaker of New Zealand House of Representatives said that he would extend his support to further enhance the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in all areas such as inter-parliamentary, commercial and sports.

President of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association Member of Parliament Hon. Niroshan Perera, said that this visit will further strengthen the relationship between the parliaments of the two countries, which have one of the oldest democracies in the region. He also said that Sri Lanka expects to further improve ties in the commercial sector including investment promotion. The president recalled the existing relationship between the two countries in the fields of cricket and rugby.

The Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Member of Parliament Hon. (Dr.) Sudarshani Fernandopulle, pointed out that following the study tour of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in New Zealand last year, they were able to make many new recommendations for the betterment of women in Sr Lanka. The caucus chair mentioned that this caucus was able to play a big role in the legislative process regarding the protection of women’s rights during the recent past.

The delegation joined the luncheon meeting hosted by the Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena along with the other representatives of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

After that, the New Zealand Speaker, who engaged in a Parliament tour, witnessed the parliamentary proceedings from the Speaker’s Gallery.

Speaker of New Zealand Parliament Hon. Gerry Brownlee signed the ‘Distinguished Visitors Book’ in the Speaker’s VIP room at the Parliament.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hon. Ajith Rajapakse, Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hon. Angajan Ramanathan, Secretary of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Association Hon. Thalatha Athukorala and several Members of Parliament were present on these occasions. The Secretary General of Parliament Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularatne and the High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka H.E David Pine also attended the events.