Sri Lanka and Australia have agreed to enhance cooperation in many fields including, the hitherto unavailable sphere of nuclear technology. This is a result of President Maithripala Sirisena’s three-day official visit to the Australian capital city Canberra, and commercial city, Sydney.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hailed the Sri Lankan leader as a man of courage who carried out an impressive process of peace and reconciliation.
Reconciliation
Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, expressed admiration for the good governance of the government of President Sirisena and offered Australia’s fullest assistance and cooperation.
President Sirisena assured the Australian leaders that his government is totally committed to the process of reconciliation.
When he discussed the issue of security and defence with Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne, when she called on him at the Shangrila Hotel in Sydney, he assured the fullest support to the campaign against human smuggling and sea piracy. He said, Sri Lanka would extend her fullest cooperation to the efforts taken to enhance maritime security.
President Sirisena said, drug smuggling has also become a major threat to many countries and emphasized the need for broad international cooperation to eliminate the menace.
The Defence Minister, explaining the experience gained by the Australian Navy over the years to prevent drug smuggling, said, drugs have become a major threat to many societies because of its harmful effects on the young generation. On the other hand, drug smugglers use the profits to fund terrorist organizations and it is a major problem to law and order in many countries, she pointed out. Hence, Australia is willing to closely cooperate with Sri Lanka in this field and provide every possible assistance to the Sri Lanka Navy and Coastguards, Ms Payne assured the President.
Australia, at present, provides training to military cadets from Sri Lanka, and the Defence Minister acceded to the President’s request to expand training facilities to include middle-level and senior military officers.
Nuclear Power
The President visited Australia’s nuclear agency, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney on an inspection tour to see its advanced research on utilization of nuclear science for disease diagnosis and medication. The President viewed different sections of ANSTO, including the Nuclear Power generator.
ANSTO already provides nuclear technology based medicines to cancer patients in many countries. The research has found many effective nuclear technology- based medicines for diseases such as, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer and liver cancer.
Chief Executive Director, ANSTO, Dr Adi Paterson explained to the President that ANSTO could use nuclear technology to test ground water for possible harmful minerals due to pesticides and suggest possible treatments
The ANSTO signed an MOU with the Presidential Taskforce for Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease to assist in the fight against chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu).
According to the Journal of Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine (2014), CKDu affects around 100,000 people, and is linked to 5,000 deaths every year.
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Somasundaram Skandakumar, and CEO,ANSTO, Dr Adi Paterson, signed an MOU that will see Australia provide new insights into the disease.
The signing took place (Thursday) at the Australian Parliament House, Canberra, attended by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Longstanding friendship
Earlier, on his arrival in Canberra, President Sirisena was given a grand welcome. He was received by Official Secretary to the Governor General, Mark Fraser, Minister of Education, Senator Simon Birmingham and Deputy Secretary (Governance) of the Prime Minister’s Office, Elizabeth Kelly.
Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Bryce Hutchisson and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Somasundaram Skandakumar and the staff of the High Commission were also present.
President Sirisena said, the invitation extended to him for a state visit proves the new high in our longstanding friendship. Australia is a leading member of the Colombo Plan under which several programs have been launched for the development of the education sector.
In the new areas of cooperation, Australia is looking at investments in the mining sector, hospitality, dairy industry and agriculture.
The High Commissioner said, the President, who also holds the portfolio of Environment, will be visiting the National Arboretum in Canberra, where he would plant a sapling of Mahogany (Toona Ciliata).
Maritime piracy
The President was also scheduled to visit the ANU-CSIRO Centre for Genomics, Metabolomics and Bioinformatics where excellent research has been done on development of food crops.
Sri Lanka and Australia actively cooperate in the curbing of human smuggling and prevention of maritime piracy.
The delegation that accompanied the President included, Minister John Amaratunga, Deputy Ministers Harsha de Silva, Ajith P. Perera, and Member of Parliament Harshana Rajakaruna, and President’s Public Relations Director General, Shantha Bandara.