Ranil bats for Global South during Iran President’s visit
The Global South must strive for its strength and autonomy, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday, even as he thanked his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, who inaugurated a key power and irrigation project in the island nation.
Expressing “gratitude to Iran for their technical support”, Mr. Wickremesinghe emphasised that without Iran’s assistance, Sri Lanka would not be able to execute the crucial $514-million irrigation project. Consequent to the project, around 6,000 hectares of agricultural land in three southern and central districts will receive water supply, his oce said. Further, the project is expected to generate and add 120 MW to the national grid.
Mr. Wickremesinghe’s pitch for greater autonomy for the Global South came amid media reports in Sri Lanka of “Western pressure” on Colombo. Mr. Raisi
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Colombo.
landed in Sri Lanka 10 days after Iran launched an unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel, retaliating against the April 1 air strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus. While the two sides appear to have backed o from a regional con¨ict for now, tensions remain high, with Israel continuing its attack on Gaza. During his just concluded three-day visit to Pakistan, President Raisi warned Israel that “nothing will be left of the Zionist regime” if Tel Aviv attacks Iran again.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government announced the signing of ve
agreements with Iran. Sri Lanka has pledged to expand bilateral ties and development cooperation with the West Asian country, and expressed interest to tap its expertise in the energy, water, agriculture, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. In February, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Colombo and expressed satisfaction over the barter trade agreement under which Iran supplies crude oil to Sri Lanka, in return for tea. The two countries also agreed to explore trading in Asian currencies instead of U.S. dollars.