Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera opened the proceedings of the Sri Lanka-EU joint commission this morning.

In his opening remarks Samaraweera said that this meeting, which takes place just 82 days after the new government came to power, was a “useful opportunity to reset relations between the EU and Sri Lanka on a positive trajectory”.

Samaraweera briefed the EU officials on the steps the government was taking to ensure reconciliation and accountability. He also noted the government’s appreciation of the European Council’s appeal to the EU General Court on the LTTE ban, and welcomed the recent announcement that the LTTE would continue to be listed as a terrorist organization.

In this context, he noted “sustainably eradicating terrorism requires us to beyond dealing with its symptoms”, saying that Sri Lanka “would remedy the root causes of injustice, discrimination and prejudice that have spawned hate and violence for many decades.”

Samaraweera said the new government "will break from this past and is deeply committed to make our vision of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Sri Lanka based on the principals of equality, justice and meritocracy a reality of all Sri Lankans”

The EU is the single largest market for Sri Lankan exports and Samaraweera conveyed the government’s keen desire to develop trade, investment and economic relations. In particular, he emphasized the importance of the GSP+ trade concessions and the lifting of the ban of fish exports to the EU.