Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne in New York and discussed avenues for enhanced cooperation on a wide spectrum of areas. Foreign Minister Payne conveyed the warm greetings of the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to his Sri Lankan counterpart and stated that the Prime Minister is personally interested in the preparations for the upcoming celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Minister Peiris referred to the experience of Australia in vocational education and expressed that Sri Lanka is very much interested in gaining assistance in this area. With regard to human trafficking, he stated that this is a humanitarian tragedy and that the Government of Sri Lanka has played a substantial role in curbing this illegal activity. Minister Peiris apprised Minister Payne that much headway has been made in the economic development of the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country as well as with reconciliation. He also elaborated on developments related to the Office of Missing Persons, Office for Reparations and the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) as well as the appointment of a Commission headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to take stock of the current situation and to identify ways and means of taking the process forward.

Minister Peiris stated that there is a need to allow local institutions the space and opportunity to carry out their mandates and the establishment of an ad-hoc external mechanism that overrides this work is unnecessary and detrimental. It is premature and inappropriate to have a mechanism selectively targeting Sri Lanka and goes against the very principles of the UN Charter.

Minister Payne stated that there is a very warm and significant Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia. She welcomed enhanced cooperation between the two countries in the areas outlined by Minister Peiris, particularly in the field of intelligence sharing and education. Both Ministers agreed to work together closely to further enhance the warm and cordial relations between Sri Lanka and Australia.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

21 September, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/fm-sl-australia-2/)

Asserting that despite many domestic priorities Sri Lanka has discharged its obligations in paying its assessments to date, the Sri Lanka delegation to the UNGA this week called on the United Nations Secretariat to utilize the available resources received from the Member States in a more effective, impartial and transparent manner, at a time when the Organization is battling its worst financial crisis leading to the implantation of austerity measures and limited operations.

Sri Lanka’s delegate, Deputy High Commissioner in Canada Ms. Sithara Khan made this observation at the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on improving the financial situation of the United Nations on 18 October 2019, in the presence of the President of the General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.

The delegate appreciated the Secretary General’s assurance to meet obligations to Member States providing troops and equipment to UN Peace Keeping Operations as promptly as possible based on the availability of funds. Sri Lanka also urged the Secretariat to fulfill its financial obligations with regards to the peace keepers identified to be replaced, at the point of repatriation and added that it was important for the UN Secretariat to ensure a predictive system of payment on all dues concerning peacekeeping operations.

Recalling that Sri Lanka had been a regular contributor to the UN Peacekeeping Operations budget since 1960, Ms. Khan also expressed concern regards the practices adopted by the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) recently in relation to Sri Lanka, which was in violation of a MoU with a sovereign country, while challenging the decision of a Head of State. The delegate observed that the Secretariat had failed to formally reply the written communications addressed on the relevant aspects of the matter for over a month and added that it was important to have formal communications in order to avert confusion and misunderstanding on information provided verbally. She also called on the UN Secretariat to ensure that such a misplaced process should not be allowed to be systematized, in order to avoid politicization of the decision making process and for professional ethics of the organization to be secured.

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations

New York

18  October 2019

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/)

The new steering committee was appointed during the monthly luncheon meeting consisted of 25 spouses of Heads of Mission Spouses Association’s Asia-Pacific chapter held at the residence of the Ambassador for Japan in Ottawa on 04^th October 2019. Prior to Mrs. Girihagama’s appointment, Mrs. Aparna Swarup, spouse of India’s High Commissioner to Canada represented Asia region at the steering committee of Asia Pacific Heads of Missions Spouses Association.