Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union)_ Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, on Wednesday, presided over the inauguration of a hydropower project in the southeastern region of Sri Lanka, valued at $514 million. This endeavor, partially financed by Tehran, had faced prolonged delays as a result of international sanctions imposed on Iran, a nation abundant in oil resources. Marking the first visit by an Iranian president to Sri Lanka since April 2008, when then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad undertook a similar trip, Raisi arrived in Colombo as part of a state visit following his visit to Pakistan.
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Accompanied by a distinguished delegation, Raisi was warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena upon his arrival at Mattala International Airport in the southern province earlier in the day. Escorted under tight security arrangements, roads were temporarily closed to regular traffic as the Iranian president made his way to the inauguration site of the hydropower project. There, he was greeted by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, emphasizing the significance of bilateral cooperation.
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Addressing attendees during the inauguration ceremony, President Raisi expressed Tehran’s satisfaction in contributing to the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP), highlighting its role in fostering stronger ties between the peoples of Iran and Sri Lanka. He commended the efforts of Iranian engineers whose dedication ensured the project’s success. In response, President Wickremesinghe conveyed his anticipation for collaborative advancements between Sri Lanka and Iran as members of the Global South. He acknowledged Sri Lanka’s indebtedness to Iran for the technical assistance rendered towards the UMODP, which is lauded as the island’s second-largest irrigation initiative following the Mahaweli River diversion project in the 1980s.
According to a statement released by the Sri Lankan government, the UMODP, with a total cost of $514 million, received an initial contribution of $50 million from Iran. In April 2008, the Sri Lankan government and Iran’s Farab Energy and Water Projects (Farab Company) entered into an agreement to execute the project. Despite challenges posed by international sanctions on Iran, Sri Lanka persisted in project implementation utilizing domestic resources while retaining Farab Company as the contractor. Furthermore, the completed project is poised to inject 290 GWh of electricity into the national grid, facilitate irrigation for 4,500 hectares of new agricultural land and 1,500 hectares of existing farmland, and cater to the potable water requirements of numerous families across the Badulla, Monaragala, and Hambantota districts.
Subsequently, during a joint meeting chaired by the two presidents, high-ranking officials from Iran and Sri Lanka entered into five cooperation agreements spanning various domains including culture, science, technology, media, sports, youth, national libraries, cooperatives, media, tourism, and the film industry. The following are the five MoUs inked between Iran and Sri Lanka: Cultural, scientific, technical, mass media and sports and youth cooperation, Cooperation between the national libraries of the two countries, Cooperation between the Iran Chamber of Cooperatives and National Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka, Media and tourism cooperation between Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Media, Tourism and Aviation and Cooperation in the field of film industry between the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran and The National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka (NFC).
