President Maithripala Sirisena arrives in Georgia

COLOMBO (News 1^st) - President Maithripala Sirisena landed in Georgia this morning for a three-day official visit where he will attend the 5^th Session of the Open Government Partnership. The President's Media Division said President Sirisena who concluded his three-day official visit in Rome, Italy where he attended the 24^th session of the Committee on Forestry and the 6^th World Forest Week, arrived in the Shota Rustavelli International airport in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi early this morning. President Sirisena was welcomed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, George Sharvashidze. The Open Government Partnership summit will begin tomorrow (July 18) and conclude on the 19^th of this month. At the summit, President Sirisena is expected to speak about the substantial measures taken by Sri Lanka to achieve partnership goals. The OGP 2018 Global Summit which was formally launched in 2011 focuses on civic engagement, fighting against corruption, and public service delivery. Sri Lanka was offered membership of the Open Government Partnership in 2015, following the election of President Maithripala Sirisena, whose commitment to fight corruption gained international attention. Sri Lanka is the only South Asian nation to receive membership in the Open Government Partnership which currently has 75 member-states.