COLOMBO : Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa congratulated Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi’s victory on the June 18 presidential race.
“The people & the Government of #SriLanka congratulate HE Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati on the landmark victory in the Islamic Republic of #Iran’s 13th Presidential election,” the president said in his tweet on Tuesday, June 22.
“We look forward to working together to further strengthen our bilateral relations,” he further said .
On Friday, June 18, the 13th presidential election was held simultaneous with the sixth round of city and village councils elections, the first mid-term for the 11th parliament’s by-election, and the second mid-term for the fifth Assembly of Experts election.
Earlier, in an interview with Iran’s Ambassador in Colombo Hashem Ashja Zadeh, the envoy told Colombo Times that his country is ready to resume oil exports and import larger quantities of tea from Sri Lanka.
“The two countries have taken practical steps in this regard which will come to fruition in the near future,:” Ambasador Zadeh said.
“ Sri Lanka becoming first tea exporter to Iran again, resuming Iran oil exports to Sri Lanka and Iran’s partnership in Sri Lanka infrastructure projects are expectations hoped to materialize in the future,” the envoy stressed.
“A close economic relation would guarantee a good political relation. In addition to boosting trade ties, the two countries should focus on production as well through joint ventures since there are high potentials in the two countries with regard to production chain. Iran is also interested in more engagement in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka,” he added.
