I welcome the fact that, following the presidential elections at the beginning of the year, the parliamentary elections have also proceeded peacefully and smoothly. Free and fair elections are the key to a functioning democracy. The way in which these elections were held is therefore especially encouraging.

With their high turnout and their involvement in the election campaign, the Sri Lankan people have shown how important their country’s democratic development is to them. Sri Lanka’s authorities and the EU election observers, whose report we eagerly await, deserve our respect. We will follow the upcoming formation of a new government with great interest, and look forward to continuing Germany’s cooperation with Sri Lanka, which we intensified at the beginning of the year.