President Abdulla Yameen has congratulated recently elected Sri Lankan President Maithiripala Sirisena while the foreign ministry has quelled rumours that senior members of the outgoing government have “fled” to the Maldives.
In a message to his new Sri Lankan counterpart, President Yameen offered congratulations on behalf of himself and the people of Maldives.
“Through the election, Sri Lankans have demonstrated yet again the strength of the country’s democracy and the resilience of its institutions. The election result is a testament to the trust and confidence that Sri Lankans have on your policies, your leadership, and on your commitment to the advancement of Sri Lanka,” said Yameen.
Former health minister under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sirisena took 51.3 percent of the vote on Thursday (January 8), ending the incumbent’s ten-year rule – which had looked sure to continue just weeks earlier.
“Let me take this opportunity to invite you to make a State Visit to the Maldives at your earliest convenience. Such a visit would give us the opportunity to exchange views in taking our relationship forward,” continued President Yameen’s message.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed speculation that key figures from the outgoing Sri Lankan government had “fled” to the Maldives.
“The Government of Maldives confirms that no senior official in the previous Government in Sri Lanka travelled to the Maldives after the Presidential election,” read a press release from the ministry today.
The foreign ministry’s statement came after the Colombo Telegraph cited reliable sources as saying that the former Sri Lankan defence minister Gothabaya Rajapaksa had travelled to the Maldives as soon as his brother’s defeat was confirmed.
Former President Rajapaksa has said that he looks forward to a peaceful transition of power.
President Yameen last week transferred all Sri Lankan prisoners held in the Maldives upon a request from Rajapaksa, who cited humanitarian grounds for the move.
Just under ten thousand Maldivians live in Sri Lanka, with bilateral trade said to have grown by 40 percent in 2013.
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