John Kerry meets Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena
New York, Sept 29: US Secretary of State John Kerry met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and commended his government's bold steps to restore democratic freedoms at home and to renew its engagements with the international community.
Kerry met Sirisena on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Session, his spokesperson said.
Their discussion built on the meetings Kerry had during his visit to Colombo in May, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said.
"The Secretary commended the bold steps taken by the new Sri Lankan government to restore democratic freedoms at home and to renew its engagements with the United Nations and other key partners abroad," Kirby said.
"He noted the United States' support for a credible domestic process for justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka -- one that is led and owned by the Sri Lankan people and is conducted in cooperation with the UN and international support," he said.
Kerry and Sirisena also discussed ways in which the US could support Sri Lanka in pursuing clean energy initiatives, improving cooperation on climate change efforts in the run-up to the COP 21 meeting in Paris, and working toward open government goals, Kirby said.
PTI