Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today said that Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will officially write to the European Union today or tomorrow, requesting the reinstatement of GSP+ preferential tariff system for Sri Lanka.

Addressing a group of trade union leaders at the Sirikotha Party Headquarters, Wickremesinghe said that he was positive of the outcome of talks with the EU on GSP+. This will in turn help the government's programme of creating one million jobs, the Prime Minister said further.

These new developments were the result of the positive outlook the EU has on the new Sri Lankan government, Wickremesinghe said. Sri Lanka was able to improve its international standing, not through compromising on sovereignty, but engaging with the international world, he argued.

The former government repeatedly broke its promises to the international community, which affected Sri Lanka's international image, Wickremesinghe said.