(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks on Saturday with high level state officials of Sri Lanka including President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
In a press conference after the meeting, Kerry appreciated the new government for its efforts to strengthen democracy and improve human rights situation in the country.
"One thing which struck me was the readiness of this government to open its doors, to open its minds to different ideas," the PTI quoted Kerry as saying.
"You are working on creating an enduring peace and you are working on providing prosperity for all of your people," Kerry added.
The US official also appreciated the courage that both Sri Lankan president and prime minister have shown to address tough issues, including the reconciliation with the Tamil minority.
"They are willing to make difficult decisions and they are committed to keeping their promises," Kerry said, adding that both the sides have decided to work closely in the future.
"To that end the foreign minister and I agreed to establish an annual participatory dialogue between our two governments," he said.
The bilateral relationship between the US and Sri Lanka was strained during the long rule of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa especially over issues of human rights as the US had supported a number of resolutions in the UN Human Rights Council as Washington accused Colombo of rampant human rights violations during its long war against LTTE. (end) atk.mt
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