Every passing moment adds to our knowledge and experience and at the same time, each and every moment of the future will judge our capabilities to face new emerging challenges. The great commitment and determined courage shown by us to face those challenges and achieve those goals will take us to the level of excellence.

We should bid farewell to the year that ends and welcome the New Year with new expectations and prioritize that vision. 

Accordingly, as a country, we can consider the past year as a year in which many positive expectations have been fulfilled. Furthermore, we enter the year 2018 with many challenges that we must face with courage in order to accomplish our goals. The economic prosperity we should gain as a country, the reconciliation that should be deeply instilled in society, human freedom and the further endorsement of the glorious image of Sri Lanka at the international fora are among those priorities. Our determination and commitment towards making the new year a successful one will depend on how far we succeed in achieving those goals. 

The new year dawns at a time when a miraculous beginning of a new chapter of development with a gigantic hydro irrigation project being vested with the people to take the nation speedily towards prosperity. 

I wish all the Sri Lankan citizens a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, in which the people would get the rich harvest from the agricultural lands irrigated by the silver, blue waters of the Moragahakanda reservoir. 

- President Maithripala Sirisena