Sri Lanka received many unrealistic foreign loans for unnecessary projects – Bimal Ratnayake

Sri Lanka can learn a lot from Türkiye about accommodating diverse people and cultures, according to a senior politician from the South Asian nation.

“Türkiye is one of the great countries when you consider its nature as well as (from) the historical” perspective, said Bimal Rathnayake of the People’s Liberation Front.

“We have been observing (that) Türkiye has become a popular destination … for Sri Lankan people (as well), because it is a house which can accommodate all cultures,” Rathnayake told Anadolu Agency. “Sri Lanka should also focus on how to accommodate all the cultures, all the religions, all the people of other countries.”

He said the South Asian nation has also a lot of historical sites laced with beautiful natural sites.

“(But) I think that this (diversity) is one thing we can learn” from Türkiye, he said.

Rathnayake, who represented constituents in parliament for 15 years, was in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul to attend the three-day International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).

The first Turkish diplomatic contact with Sri Lanka was in 1864 when the Ottoman State opened an honorary consulate on the island nation.

Türkiye was one of the first countries to recognize Sri Lanka following that nation’s independence in 1948.

Ties have grown since a tsunami rocked Sri Lanka in 2004 and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the country at the time.

The current trade figure between the two countries stands at more than $100 million.