RUZAIK FAROOK
COLOMBO – Islamic Republic of Iran had helped in a big in the victory of Sri Lanka against the 30- year old war against the terrorists, Secretary, Ministry of Defence General G. D. H. Kamal Gunarathna said here the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces Day Reception at Lotus Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo on Thursday April 18.
It was held under the patronage of Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Alireza Delkhosh.
Chief Guest of the ceremony Secretary, Ministry of Defence General G. D. H. Kamal Gunarathna along with the the Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Alireza Delkhosh., Colonel Homayoun Ali Yari, President of the Al Mustafa International University Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatullah Dr. Ali Abbasi, and Representative of Mustafa International University Hujjathul Islam Seyed Zeinul Abideen Mirfatemi cut the cake to mark the event.
Cultural Counsellor of Iran Cultural Centre Dr. Bahman Moazamil, Ambassadors, Members of the Defence Forces, Embassy Officials and invitees were also present.
Gunarathna further said that Iran has helped Sri Lanka in good and bad times.” It supplied mortars to combat the rebels which helped the island to end the 30 year old war.
Uma Oya .proeject is one good example of Iranian aid to Sri Lanka, he sard.
The Iranian-funded Uma Oya multipurpose development project with 120MW hydropower generation capacity.is
Valued at $529 million, the Uma Oya project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2015, but was suspended once and then later faced delays due to sanctions on Iran and a number of other issues, including overdue payments and Sri Lanka deciding to purchase crude oil from countries other than Iran, upon which Sri Lanka was almost fully reliant on for supplies.
The Uma Oya project includes the construction of storing water in two reservoirs with dams before being brought through a 23 km tunnel to two turbines located underground and generating hydro-power with a capacity of 120 megawatts and added to the national grid.
After power generation, the water is expected to be brought to three reservoirs while supplying water to 20,000 acres of old and new paddy fields in both the Yala and Maha cultivating seasons. Beyond irrigation, the project meets the drinking water needs of residents in Badulla, Moneragala, and Bandarawela districts.
Earlier this year Sri Lanka recently paid of USD 251 million in dues for crude oil imports via tea exports to Tehran. Sri Lanka signed a deal in December 2021 to offset the export of tea to Iran against the legacy oil credit owed by state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to the National Iranian Oil Company, without busting US sanctions.
“So far $20 million worth of tea has been exported to Iran under the barter trade agreement,“ Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s office said in a statement after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.