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| President Rajapakse and Ayatollah Khamenei (Fars News Agency) |
President Mahinda Rajapakse met with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday, on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran.
The Ayatollah praised Sri Lanka for standing up against ‘colonialists’.
He said hegemonic powers try "to portray themselves as invincible, but Iran and Sri Lanka's experiences show that resistance against colonialists and hegemons [sic] is possible".
The Supreme Leader also praised Sri Lanka’s support for the Palestinian cause and its ‘respect’ for the Muslims on the island.
See here, here and here for the 'respectful' treatment of Muslims in Sri Lanka.
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| Rajapakse and his Iranian counterpart President Ahmedinejad (Colombo Page) |
The Sri Lankan president welcomed Khamenei’s proposal for a nuclear-free Middle-East, made during the start of the summit and added,
"We are ensured that we can overcome many problems through your aid and assistance."
Rajapakse also met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and discussed the Uma Oya development project, which is funded by a US$450 million loan from the Export Development Bank of Iran.
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| Rajapakse shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai (Colombo Page) |
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