Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu received Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Prof. G.L. Peiris at the Turkish House, the Chancery building of the Turkish Permanent Mission in New York, on Friday 17 September 2021, for a bilateral meeting between the two sides, on the side lines of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu recalled fondly his fruitful two-day visit to Sri Lanka in 2016. The Minister appreciated the arrangements extended to him during the visit. Foreign Minister Peiris also recalled fondly a number of visits to Turkey and commented on the rich experiences he had. The Foreign Minister of Turkey was happy to observe that a Hony Consul of Sri Lanka would take office shortly in his home town.

In evaluating their mutual visits, the two Foreign Ministers noted that it would be an opportune time to enhance further contacts by visits and interactions at other levels, to strengthen the excellent ties of friendship between the two countries, particularly economic and trade ties. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu noted that despite the two countries being geographically far, the ties between the two were very close. Foreign Minister Peiris noted the generous assistance given to Sri Lanka from Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic with the provision of ventilators and other equipment and appreciated that Turkey had also extended support in the aftermath of the Tsunami where housing was provided. The Ministers appreciated that bilateral trade between the two had steadily increased from US 100 Million and was projected to reach US 200 million in the year.

Foreign Minister Peiris highlighted that there was a need for Sri Lankan exports to Turkey to diversify from its 80% consisting of tea and noted that there was tremendous protentional between the two countries to boost economic, trade and investment in growth areas such as construction and the pharmaceutical industries, where Turkey had expertise and Sri Lanka was looking at developing this area by having specific economic free zones for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals for the local market and beyond. The Turkish Foreign Minister underscored that the Turkish construction sector was the world’s second largest and that they had a number of projects globally and not just in their region. The two Ministers expressed interest to finalise important agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation and on Investment Promotion and Protection, that could serve to provide opportunities for joint projects, investments and initiatives between both countries. The Foreign Minister of Turkey noted their experience of successful Private to Public Projects for infrastructure, such as Turkey’s second international airport that would boost their role as an important global international hub.

The two Ministers also discussed enhancing people to people contact, including possibilities of exploring air connectivity between Ankara and Colombo and code-share flights to the region that could boost linkages and ties to new levels, including exchanges between the respective Chambers of Commerce and business sectors. Both sides undertook to expedite respective agreements that had been finalized and were at the last stages of implementation.

Foreign Minister Peiris expressed condolences on the death of two Turkish nationals in Sri Lanka from the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks and gave an update on the investigations underway and the legal processes under way to try those that were involved that had linkages to extreme groups. The two Ministers expressed the need to confront terrorism in all its forms as well as linkages to the rise of extremism and spoke against the politicization of human rights and selective use of human rights as tools by some parties, and pledged to expand international cooperation in the United Nations and other fora.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu noted that he was to visit Sri Lanka, but that the visit had to be postponed due to the COVID pandemic. Foreign Minister Peiris extended an invitation for the Turkish Foreign Minister to visit Sri Lanka in the near future.

The two Ministers looked forward to expand the friendly and close ties and expressed hope that further interaction may commence in the aftermath of the covid pandemic.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

20 September, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/fm-turkey/)

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s active commitment to dialogue and engagement with the Commonwealth at a virtual meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in New York.

Foreign Minister Peiris recalled that Sri Lanka as a founding member of the Commonwealth remains proactive and committed to the values, principles and objectives of the Organization. Sri Lanka looks forward to further collaboration with the Commonwealth in a number of areas including commerce, education, vocational training and climate change. The Minister stated that Sri Lanka has been successful in Mangrove restoration and has emerged as a Commonwealth Blue Charter leader. Sri Lanka recently initiated a “climate and green economy” focusing on food security centric agricultural production and renewable energy.

The Commonwealth is a celebration of diversity with all of its Member States enjoying a common objective, making it unique and exhilarating stated the Foreign Minister. All of its Members have the advantage of a common law background but have followed different avenues of development. The Foreign Minister also briefed Secretary-General Scotland on the steps taken by local institutions in the country with respect to reconciliation. This is an on going process, and the country requires sufficient space for the local institutions to deliver on their mandates. The work done by these institutions cannot be replaced or taken over by external bodies. He referenced the ad-hoc mechanism that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is trying to establish and stated that it is not acceptable to Sri Lanka and not in line with the spirit and letters of the UN Charter.

Secretary-General Scotland warmly recalled her visits to Sri Lanka in 2018 and 2019 and appreciated the close engagement that Sri Lanka has consistently maintained with the Commonwealth. She thanked Sri Lanka for hosting the Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference in 2019 and stated that the Commonwealth appreciates Sri Lanka’s continued collaboration with the Commonwealth in a wide spectrum of areas including trade, sports, youth and countering violent extremism.

Sri Lanka is one of the 54 Member States of the Commonwealth and hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

19 September, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/fm-commonwealth/)

The new Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS) Ambassador Dayantha Laksiri Mendis was appointed by Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Board of the Institute Professor G. L. Peiris. Ambassador Mendis assumed duties at the Institute's premises in Colombo on Wednesday (15). Also present on the occasion were members of the Board Suganthie Kadirgamar and Kosala Wickramanayake, Director General of the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute Ambassador Pamela Dean, Director of the LKIIRSS Chathuka Senanayake and representatives of the Foreign Minister's office.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

16 September, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/lki-new-ex-director/)

Mr. Chairman, distinguished panelists, ladies, and gentlemen. Both the Maltese Minister and the Rector in their remarks spoke of the interface between religion and foreign policy. There is clearly an interface. The Rector, in her concluding remarks, also used the word ‘cynical’. There's also a great deal of cynicism and skepticism that is all too evident, and I think there is a fundamental cause for this. There is the widespread conviction that foreign policy decisions are often made without any regard to ethical or moral factors. It is a question of loyalty to a group to which one happens to belong and then uncritically one follows a course of action that is dictated by that group. There is no attempt to search one's own conscience, decide what is wrong, what is right in a particular situation.

Now I think it is worth recalling that there was once upon a time, a very powerful movement called the Non-Aligned Movement. It still exists but it has lost a great deal of the vigor and vitality that it had in the Non-Aligned Movement. And a leader of that period from your part of the world certainly played a pioneering role in that. Joseph Broz Tito of Yugoslavia was one of the pillars of the Non-Aligned Movement. Then also in this part of the world, we had Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus, who played a leading role together with world leaders representing different geographical regions and different cultures. Jawaharlal Nehru of India. Then you are going to have your interfaith dialogue next year in Indonesia. President Sukarno of Indonesia and a leader of my own country, the world's first woman Prime Minister, the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike was very much a part of that movement. There were others whose names are well-known. Nasser of Egypt and so on. Now, the whole point of the Non-Aligned Movement was look at each foreign policy issue on its merits. You don't come to a priori conclusions and membership of a group, fidelity to a group should not be regarded as something that overwrites and supersedes matters pertaining to one's own conscience. Of course, this movement began and flourished in a certain context, the context of a bipolar world.

The Rector mentioned the fact that there is no longer any Cold War. I think the Chairman said that there is no longer a Cold War. In some ways it makes life easier. Now the Non-Aligned Movement was developed in the context of a bipolar world. You don't align yourself to this camp or that camp. In one matter, you may agree with this camp, but in another matter, you would completely disagree with that camp and say ‘No! The other camp is right.’ So you preserve for yourselves the freedom of thought and the freedom of action. Now today we live in a unipolar world. There are no longer two warring camps. But that does not mean that the ideology underpinning the Non-Aligned Movement is entirely irrelevant or obsolete. Not at all. I think if you look at the troubled world in which we live, some elements of that philosophy remain very relevant and they have a kind of immediacy today, which they probably did not have in the 1960s when the movement had its heyday. So that is a point that I would like to stress to dispel this mood of skepticism and cynicism, to enshrine a state of things in which foreign policy decisions are made according to moral and ethical values. I think that's an important point. Then, reference was made also to the United Nations. The distinguished Foreign Minister of Malta referred to the fact that the UN Charter speaks of freedom from fear, freedom from want.

They are two sides of the same coin. But I think we need to ask ourselves, Mr. Chairman, in a spirit of frankness of candor, whether the United Nations system is functioning today in the manner that was envisaged by the founding fathers. If you look at the seminal documents of the United Nations system- the Charter of the United Nations, the Declaration of Human Rights- are we really behaving in the manner that was envisioned by these sacrosanct instruments? I don't think one could sincerely answer that question in the affirmative.

Today, reference was made to COVID-19 and the responses to that. Look at the Bretton Woods institutions. The Bretton Woods institutions were also fashioned in a certain political context that is the end of the Second World War but the world has changed a great deal since then. But those institutions remain largely as they were. Now the developing world in particular, if the World Bank, for example, were to agree to a policy of debt forgiveness in the excruciatingly difficult circumstances that we have today, then countries that are developing would be able to use their own scarce resources for projects connected with the welfare of their populations. Now take my own country Sri Lanka. We normally earn 4.2 billion dollars a year from tourism. That has come almost to a complete stop. Then our trade relations have been affected. Money coming into the Sri Lankan Treasury from the efforts of our expatriates working abroad in countries like Italy has been affected. So in that situation, if the World Bank were to agree to a policy of debt forgiveness, I think that would greatly accelerate and facilitate the economic development of our countries.

Then look at the composition of the Security Council. Does that in any way reflect the reality of the modern world? It does not. It reflects a certain balance of powers that was only realistic at the conclusion of the Second World War. But today there are other emerging powers. I won't name countries but the entire organization needs to be basically overhauled to bring it in line with contemporary realities. The Economic and Social Council needs to be strengthened. Again, there has to be an emphasis on equality, on human dignity. The whole world, not a section of the world. It is not one section - affluent, powerful, dominating the rest of the world and using the United Nations system as an instrument for their domination. That is what creates a certain lack of confidence in the organs and the structures associated with the United Nations system. So I think these are some of the critical issues, imperative issues that we need to address at this time.

Just a couple of short points. The other one is that any enlightened foreign policy has to be based upon the concept of mature nationhood because foreign policy is in a sense, an extension of domestic policy. So, you know, the country has to be united in formulating foreign policy. You can’t do it in an acrimonious, divided way. Now many of our countries, certainly my own country, we have different parts of the population speaking different languages, professing different religions. Their cultural backgrounds are completely different. That's a problem. Now, how do you work on that? I think the key to that, Mr. Chairman, is the educational system. You know, the young, impressionable minds, certainly in our part of the world, the Indian subcontinent- Sri Lanka, Malaysia, that part of the world- you have different ethnic communities in schools and universities being taught in completely different compartments, and there's hardly any opportunity for young people to get to know each other. Not because there's hostility. There's no hostility at all. It's just that they can't speak to each other. There's no communication possible because of the problem of language. So not only their academic lives but even their cultural and social lives tend to be entirely compartmentalized. Therefore, language plays a key role in communication, a link language for example.

Then the final point I want to make is this that we have to look at ethnic or religious political parties. That is also a critical problem with regard to the formulation of foreign policy and in many of our countries, we have political parties that profess overtly to be ethnic in character and complexion. We represent this ethnic group. We represent this religion. I don't think that's a good idea. It does a great deal of damage. In my own country Muslims, Tamils, members of minority communities have reached the pinnacle of political power and authority as members of the national political parties.  National Political Parties! And that has not inhibited their rise within the democratic system. So there is no need for them to detach themselves from the national polity, to segregate, to compartmentalize the national polity by the formation and the emergence of political groupings that seem sectarian. They have a very narrow perspective, and that is hugely detrimental to the solidarity and the unity of our countries. You are contemplating these matters in the G20 Interfaith Forum. So these are some thoughts that I would like to leave with you, not as concluded by any means, but merely as a basis for a very stimulating discussion that we have under your distinguished chairmanship.

Thank you very much.

(https://mfa.gov.lk/fm-sl-bologna/)

State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya undertook an official visit to Ukraine from 8 – 10 September 2021, to participate in a Sri Lanka tourism promotion campaign and to discuss the potential for enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.

During the visit, the State Minister participated at a media and tour operator networking session. The event, organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, attracted representatives from leading media and travel organizations in Ukraine and provided an important opportunity to highlight Sri Lanka’s tourist attractions, particularly emerging sights and travel experiences the country had to offer tourists from Ukraine.

State Minister Balasuriya also met Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dymtro Senik, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Taras Kachka and the President of the Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennediy Chyzhykov and members of the Chamber and discussed means of further enhancing economic relations between the two countries, particularly in areas such as agriculture, ICT and tourism.

The State Minister was accompanied by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ukraine Rizvi Hassen, Director General of the State Ministry of Regional Cooperation Savitri Panabokke, and Media Secretary of the State Minister Deshan Gonawela,

State Ministry of Regional Cooperation

15 September, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/sm-ukrain/)

State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya undertook an official visit to Russia from 5– 8 September 2021, to participate at the opening of the Sri Lanka pavilion at the “OTDYKH Leisure Fair” and a Sri Lanka tourism promotion campaign in Moscow. Sri Lanka’s participation at these events were organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau targeting the winter season tourists from Russia.

During the visit, the State Minister participated at the opening of the Sri Lanka pavilion at the Leisure Fair, which is the largest travel fair in the country. This year, despite the pandemic situation, the Fair attracted over 6,000 visitors, indicating the strong interest of Russian tourists to travel abroad.

Addressing the media and travel representatives during the tourism promotion event, the State Minister highlighted that beyond the traditional tourist sites, Sri Lanka now offered new experiences and sites for the discerning Russian tourist, from idyllic beaches ideal for surfing to scenic villages in the central mountains. State Minister Balasuriya also highlighted the health measures adopted by the country to ensure the safety of visitors from abroad.

State Minister Balasuriya also held discussions with prominent social media influencers in order to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, as they have a strong impact on young travelers across the world. He also encouraged Russian investments in the tourism sector in Sri Lanka.

State Ministry of Regional Cooperation

15 September 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/sm-moscow/)

Sri Lanka Tourism and the Department of Wildlife and Conservation together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH teamed up to showcase Wilpattu National Park through a Live Virtual Tour with the aim of promoting Sri Lanka’s wildlife to the world whilst offering a glimpse of what awaits them, once it is safe to travel again.

Please find the link for the LIVE Stream : https://bit.ly/3zYOWZU and www.facebook.com/GIZSrilanka