Japanese Ambassador invites Gotabaya to Tokyo conference, discusses ECT

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 February 2020, 11:15 GMT]
Japan’s Ambassador Akira Sugiyama called on SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday to discuss the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT), which was put on project pipeline during the previous regime as well as to look into the prospects for liquefied natural gas project. He was also inviting Mr Rajapaksa to attend the 26th international conference on “The future of Asia”, an annual global conference sponsored by Nikkei, a large media corporation in Japan. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would be meeting Mr Rajapaksa during the visit on May 28-29.

“Healing a Divided World and Shaping a New Global Order – How should Asia act?” is the theme of the international gathering this year.

Political, economic and academic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region take part in the annual conference offering their opinions.

“President Rajapaksa would be one of the first leaders from the South Asia to bring a fresh insight to this conference,” said a news release issued by the SL Presidential Secretariat on Monday.

In the meantime, Colombo-based News 1st, owned by Capital Maharaja conglomerate, has been engaging in propaganda critical of India and Japan collectively developing the ECT of Colombo port.

“While there is a foreign intervention with regard to Lt. General Shavendra Silva, there are discussions of another possible foreign intervention. This is with regard to the Eastern Container Terminal of the Colombo Port,” a report filed by a staff writer said on Sunday.

“News 1st continuously reported on Sri Lanka losing the grip on economically strategic locations in the country. Will the Eastern Container Terminal also face the same fate as the Hambantota Port, the Palali Airport, the land adjacent to the Shangri La Hotel at Galle Face?,” the staff writer asked.

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Eastern Container Terminal Agreement with India and Japan resurfaces