This press release has been issued by the Royal Netherlands Embassy Colombo

23 April 2003

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This press release has been issued by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 23 April 2003 SRI LANKA AND THE NETHERLANDS SIGN JOINT STATEMENT ON COMMON CULTURAL HERITAGE On Tuesday 29 April 2003, 4.00 PM, the governments of Sri Lanka and The Netherlands will sign a joint policy framework on mutual cultural heritage. The signing ceremony will take place at the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs, Sethsripaya, Battaramula. Representatives of the media are invited. The ceremony will be hosted by Hon. Minister Kodhituwakku, Minister for Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs. The government of The Netherlands will be represented by His Excellency Jan Hoekema, Ambassador for International Cultural Policy and Her Excellency Susan Blankhart, Ambassador for The Netherlands in Sri Lanka. Other members of the Dutch delegation that visits Sri Lanka for this special purpose are Mrs. Corien Sips, senior policy advisor, department of international cultural affairs of the ministry of foreign affairs and Mrs. Sabine Gimbrère, senior policy advisor, department of international cultural cooperation of the ministry of cultural affairs. The joint statement, signed by the governments of Sri Lanka and The Netherlands, is a dynamic framework for, and a strong confirmation of, the valuable cooperation in the area of common cultural heritage of the two countries. The primary objective of the policy framework is to promote cooperation on the sustainable maintenance and management of mutual cultural heritage in Sri Lanka and The Netherlands, and to identify the priorities for cooperation in the near future. Furthermore, it will serve as an instrument for assessing project applications. Sri Lanka and The Netherlands will focus their cooperation on four major sectors of common cultural heritage: Built Heritage, Museums, Archives and Maritime Archaeology. The shared cultural heritage of the two countries is an integral part of the prevailing bi-lateral relations between Sri Lanka and The Netherlands. Notably, the past four centuries of the Dutch-Sri Lankan alliance has had a profound effect on the social, cultural, religious, economic and political spheres of Sri Lanka, resulting in distinctive influences on both the tangible and intangible heritage of the country. Although alliances in the imperialism age were detrimental to the conquered nation in some respects, recent relations have been mutually beneficial. As a matter of fact, the two countries have developed, and still maintain, a long-lasting and strong relationship. Several years ago, the Central Cultural Fund in Sri Lanka approached Dutch cultural institutions, proposing to establish a cultural programme that would aim to preserve built heritage from the Dutch Period. In close collaboration with the government of The Netherlands, this programme came into practice by the establishment of the Mutual Heritage Centre in 1999. The Centre has been in operation since, and several meaningful heritage preservation projects have been successfully completed or are now underway. One of the projects is the technical assistance programme, financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This programme, implemented by the Mutual Heritage Center of Sri Lanka, strengthens the institutional organisation of the Centre, and aims to establish a sustainable network within and between the two countries in the field of Mutual Heritage. Other cultural heritage projects, in the field of built heritage restoration, archives and maritime archaeology are currently being implemented. For further information, please call the ministry of Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs (872002) or Dr Mohan Abeyratne, the Central Cultural Fund (508021