Federal Councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of Switzerland Didier Burkhalter said that a "new era" could be starting between Switzerland and Sri Lanka, in terms of economic ties and cooperation in other areas, FDFA said in a statement.

In his talks yesterday with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, the focus was on strengthening bilateral relations between Switzerland and Sri Lanka. Burkhalter expressed his appreciation for the peaceful elections in Sri Lanka and for the reforms the new government has introduced. These reforms are based on a clear political commitment to equal treatment of all ethnic groups and will include an investigation into allegations of war crimes, the statement said.

Burkhalter further added that open and comprehensive dialogue between all parties concerned was an essential prerequisite for building trust. He also welcomed the Sri Lankan government's willingness to work more closely with the international community and the UN to investigate and punish human rights violations.

At the meeting with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, who is also responsible for economic affairs in the Sri Lankan government, Burkhalter discussed options for expanding trade and economic relations. The trade volume between Switzerland and Sri Lanka is currently around CHF 300 million per year. Many Swiss companies are present in Sri Lanka, and Burkhalter met representatives from several of them while in Colombo yesterday, the statement added.

Following the talks with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Burkhalter also met representatives of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). He discussed the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka with the leader of the main Tamil party, R. Sampathan, and the Member of Parliament M.A. Sumanthiran.

On the second day of his trip to Sri Lanka (18 March), Burkhalter will visit the Akkarai project village in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka. Switzerland supported its reconstruction following the civil war, as part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation's (SDC) humanitarian reconstruction programme. In total, Switzerland is helping some 5,000 families to build houses, 20% of them are households headed by women. Thirty-five of the supported families live in the Akkarai project village, the FDFA statement said.

In Jaffna, Burkhalter will also meet the Chief Minister of Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, and the Governor of Northern Province, H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, the statement added.