Health, Mass Media Minister and Chief Government Whip, (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa has been elected as the President of the Sri Lanka–Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Association of the Tenth Parliament.

The revival meeting of the Association was held on Tuesday (17) at the Parliament premises under the patronage of Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.

Nepalese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr. Purna Bahadur Nepali graced the event as the guest of honour. The Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, Chaminda Kularatne and the visiting Nepalese delegation led by Padma Prasad Pandey, Secretary General of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, were also present.

At the meeting, MP Anushka Thilakarathne was elected as the Secretary of the Association.

Speaking at the meeting, the Speaker highlighted the longstanding friendship of 68 years between Sri Lanka and Nepal, underscoring the economic, cultural, and strategic cooperation shared by the two nations. He further expressed confidence that the revived Friendship Association would contribute significantly to strengthening collaboration in the fields of education, religion, culture, and people-to-people ties.

Ambassador Nepali congratulated the newly elected office-bearers on behalf of the Government and the people of Nepal. He emphasised that the Friendship Association would pave the way to enhance bilateral relations, particularly in policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, and interpersonal connections. He also expressed his appreciation to the Government of Sri Lanka for providing opportunities to Nepalese Buddhist monk students to pursue higher education in Sri Lanka.

In his remarks, the newly elected President, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa expressed his gratitude for the confidence placed in him and for electing him as President of the Association. He further stated his commitment to working through the Association to strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the newly elected Secretary, MP Anushka Thilakarathne extended her appreciation to the Ambassador of Nepal for his continued and invaluable support towards the activities of the Association.