The United National Party (UNP) has agreed to a proposal made by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) to establish a joint committee to facilitate discussions between the two parties.

In a special statement, the UNP said that the move is intended to strengthen cooperation between the two parties and to protect Sri Lanka’s democratic multi-party system. The party emphasized that while safeguarding democracy, it is equally important to preserve the distinct identities and policies of individual political parties.

The UNP also announced its readiness to participate in discussions convened at the Opposition Leader’s Office under the leadership of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. It added that similar dialogue should also take place with other political parties in the spirit of democratic collaboration.

The statement further noted that the UNP remains committed to working towards common national objectives by bridging existing differences with the SJB. It added that future programmes could be formulated by taking into consideration both the recent statements of the SJB and the founding principles of the UNP.