Addressing the media upon his arrival, Kerry also praised the government's commitment to realising the promises made in the 100-day program saying "Already we have seen those words turned into action. That is what makes this government work and what makes this government different.”

Kerry also made a pledge of US's interest to work with Sri Lanka and to help in any way possible to shape the future of the Sri Lankans.

Meanwhile, minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka - Mangala Samaraweera says he believes that the visit of US Secretary of State - John Kerry ‘signifies the return of our little island to the centre stage of international affairs.’

He said this in his message to the media on the occasion of the official visit, which began this morning (May 02).

“Today, Sri Lanka is well on its way to becoming a fully-fledged Parliamentary democracy, laying the foundations for a new Sri Lanka, built on the pillars of democracy and ethnic harmony,” the minister said.

“This will allow us to reap the fruits of increased economic growth and prosperity, which have been eluding us for nearly two decades,” he added.

“Ensuring accountability in the New Sri Lanka, will feature as a key component of the reconciliation process, and the architecture of a domestic accountability mechanism with international technical assistance as promised by our manifesto are now being planned,” the minister further said.

The full statements (audio) made by John Kerry and Mangala Samaraweera as well as several highlights of the visit are shown below :

Kerry commends SL’s enormous progress (audio)