The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has paid rich tributes to Dr. Lal Jayawardena, the noted Sri Lankan Economist. Inaugurating a colloquium on Jayawardena organized by the Global Development, Network (GDN), here today, the Prime Minister recalled his association with Jayawardena. He praised Jayawardena's contribution to UNCTAD and IMF. Jayawardena also served Sri Lanka in various capacities, including that of Deputy Chairman of National Development Council.

Dr. Singh said that Jayawardena remained throughout his life an ardent champion of intensive cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. He said that a fitting tribute to Jayawardena would be to strengthen cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. Dr. Singh said that the countries of South Asia must find new pathways to work together to realise the common destinies, to make the countries of the region free from the scourge of poverty, ignorance and disease that still afflicts millions and millions of citizens.

The former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe; Sri Lankan Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Dr. Dew Gunasekara; the President of Global Development Network, Mr. Lyn Sqire; and Shri N. Ram, Editor, 'The Hindu', who chairs the colloquium, also spoke on the occasion.