The Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, will this week pay a three days visit to Matara and Galle districts in the Southern Province. He will meet with local political leaders, the Government Agent in Matara and the Mayor of Galle. He will also have meetings with local business communities, NGOs and the academic community at the Ruhuna Campus.

A main purpose of the visit is to inspect two of the many Norwegian funded projects in the southern region. The Norwegian Government has contributed 160 million rupees to new information technology for the Sri Lanka higher education sector, including the Ruhuna University, and 115 million rupees to the development of rural roads in the Southern Province.

- As a facilitator to the peace process it is important for Norway to meet with stakeholders all over Sri Lanka. This visit will once again give me the opportunity to get first hand insights of the southern perspectives. Furthermore, the Norwegian Government remains fully committed to the economic development of the south, Mr. Brattskar said. About two-thirds of Norway’s development assistance to Sri Lanka is allocated to beneficiaries in the southern part of the country. This amounts to more than 20 million US dollars per year.