The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, is set to visit the island nation today (24) in response to a special invitation extended by President Ranil Wickremasinghe, marking the first visit of an Iranian President to Sri Lanka since former President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit in April 2008.
During his one-day official visit, President Raisi will participate in a public ceremony marking the inauguration of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP). This project, following the Mahaweli Development Project, is one of the largest irrigation projects in Sri Lanka.
A highlight of President Raisi’s visit will be the signing of five memorandums of understanding (MoUs), aimed at bolstering bilateral relations between Iran and Sri Lanka. The ceremony, chaired by the presidents of Iran and Sri Lanka, will symbolize the cooperation between the two nations in this significant infrastructure endeavour.
As a result of this project, approximately 4,500 hectares of new land and 1,500 hectares of existing agricultural land in the Monaragala district will receive irrigation water. Moreover, the areas of Badulla, Monaragala, and Hambantota will benefit from 39 million cubic meters (MCM) of water for drinking and industrial purposes, while generating and adding 290 GWh of electrical energy annually to the National Grid.
