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Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Special Statement by Hon. Tilak Marapana, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Parliament – 25.07.19

It has been brought to my notice that last Tuesday (23 July) and Wednesday (24 July) several Members of the Parliament have brought up the issue of the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of assembly and of association, Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voulé and the action taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conveying a request for a meeting for the Special Rapporteur with Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the Colombo High Court.

Since many a view had been expressed by Hon. Members of Parliament leading to considerable confusion, I wish to place before you the following:

The visit of the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of assembly and of association which is currently underway is part of similar visits undertaken by UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka.

The idea of welcoming such visits is to have a transparent process in place whereby the Government of Sri Lanka hopes to engage with the international community, including the UN, in a spirit of openness and dialogue.

This is not the first time that we have had a visit of a Special Rapporteur; there have been 08 such visits which have taken place since 8 January 2015. In all such occasions, it has been the regular practice for the Foreign Ministry to coordinate the activities of the SR in Sri Lanka and to arrange meetings with the Government sector. Before each such visit is undertaken, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs routinely receives from the UN, a list of persons that the visiting Special Rapporteur wishes to meet.

With respect to the current visit by the Special Rapporteur which is in question, it is important to note that as with other such visits, the Ministry conveneda preparatory meeting of stakeholders to discuss arrangements. Thereafter, the Ministry writes to the relevant institutions, conveying the request for formal appointments by the Special Rapporteur. In this instance, the same procedure was followed, including with respect to over 20 meetings sought, including with the Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the Colombo High Court.

At the above mentioned preparatory meeting,representatives from the Department of Police and Attorney General’s Department highlighted the possibility of the visiting Special Rapporteur bringing up issues mentioned in the Foreign Ministry letter addressed to Secretary/ Ministry of Justice. The Attorney General’s Department undertook the task of providing updates on such cases.

It was in this backdrop that the Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affairs, addressed the letter to Secretary/ Ministry of Justice, Secretary/ Ministry of Defence and Hon. Attorney General, mentioning the cases. The purpose was to alert these institutions on the possibility of the Special Rapporteur raising issues regarding the particular cases.

It would be noted from the letter from Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affairs that nowhere has it been recommended that the appointment sought with Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Judges of the High Court in Colombo be granted.The letter only conveyed the wish of the Special Rapporteur for these appointments.

Similarly, nowhere in the Foreign Ministry letter it is stated that the cases will be discussed, but only alerted the institutions concerned that it may be discussed. This was consequent to the stakeholder meeting held on 5 July before the visit took place.

The Foreign Ministry has followed proper procedure by communicating the requests for meetings by the Special Rapporteur through the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Services Commission. The Judicial Services Commission having considered the Ministry letter consulted the Hon. Chief Justice who granted the appointment.

I am saddened to note that some Members of Parliament had sought to show that the Actg. Secretary/ Foreign Affair’s letter was an interference with the judiciary and also was in contempt of Court. Neither of these assertions are true.

Again I wish to emphasize that this is not the first time that the Foreign Ministry has taken the course of action that it has taken for this particular visit. In fact two previous Foreign Secretaries have requested similar meetings in June 2017and October 2017 by writing directly to the Office of Hon. Chief Justice. However, in this instance, the Foreign Ministry had only conveyed the request of the Special Rapporteur to the Secretary/Ministry of Justice.

In conclusion, I wish to highlight that during the visits of special procedures mandate holders, this Ministry has always worked with all relevant line agencies in Sri Lanka in a spirit of consultation and engagement.

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FOREIGN MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS SRI LANKA’S LONGSTANDING RELATIONS WITH THE NETHERLANDS DURING MEETING WITH DUTCH AMBASSADOR

The Ambassador of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka Tanja Gonggrijp paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris on Wednesday 25 August at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. Ambassador Gonggrijp extended her warm felicitations to Foreign Minister Peiris at the outset of the courtesy meeting.

During discussions, Foreign Minister Peiris highlighted the long and fruitful relationship between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands which has influenced the legal system, architecture, cuisine, culture and lifestyle, as well as various facets of the socio-political system in Sri Lanka. The Minister Peiris in this regard made specific reference to the legacy of Roman Dutch law which has contributed to the evolution of the Sri Lankan legal system.

With regard to contemporary relations, the Foreign Minister Peiris reiterated the strong resolve of the Government of Sri Lanka to reinforce areas of cooperation with the Netherlands in the political, economic and cultural spheres, enhance connectivity and people-to-people interactions, as well as to further strengthen collaboration in multilateral fora.

Reciprocating the sentiments of the Foreign Minister Peiris, Ambassador Gonggrijp elaborated on the many areas of synergy and cooperation existing between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands which are harnessed for mutual benefit. In this regard, the Ambassador Gonggrijp referred to Dutch technical expertise in the fields of agriculture, dairy industry, culture, heritage management and restoration, which are being utilised in programmes of ongoing collaboration with Sri Lanka.

The Ambassador Gonggrijp also referred to value-added production and exports in the agriculture sector, capacity building in the dairy sector, and use of organic fertiliser and sustainable agriculture in Sri Lanka, as areas where there can be further collaboration with the Netherlands. There was agreement to further explore areas of synergy for mutual benefit.

The State Minister for Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry participated in the meeting.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

25 August, 2021

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

Foreign Ministry Conducts Consular Awareness Programmes and Mobile Services

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently conducted Consular Awareness Programmes and Integrated Consular Mobile Services (ICMS), under the guidance and presence of Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, in Trincomalee and Kandy districts, with the aim of educating the general public on the consular services and other kinds of assistance provided by the Ministry.

The two ICMS were organized in collaboration with the Trincomalee and Kandy District Secretariats and with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Registrar General’s Department in June and July 2019.

Awareness programmes on the services provided by the Consular Affairs Division were conducted for the benefit of government officials from the respective Divisional Secretariats.

During the ICMS, the Ministry, together with other stakeholders provided consular assistance and other services to large number of persons from Trincomalee and Kandy districts.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

23 July 2019

GERMAN AMBASSADOR HOLGER SEUBERT PAYS COURTESY CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER G.L. PEIRIS

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Sri Lanka Holger Lothar Seubert paid a courtesy call on the new Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Prof. G.L. Peiris on Tuesday 24 August at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo.

At the meeting, Foreign Minister Peiris underscored the significance and multifaceted nature of Sri Lanka - Germany bilateral ties ranging from political, economic relations to longstanding cultural links and people-to-people contacts.

Ambassador Seubert highlighted the vibrant and productive cooperation existing between the two countries both bilaterally and multilaterally. He also referred to the success of the recently concluded political consultations between Sri Lanka and Germany which covered a wide range of sectors.

Referring to the strong presence of reputed German companies in Sri Lanka, the Foreign Minister invited Germany to further optimise investment and trade opportunities in Sri Lanka towards mutual benefit.

Identifying development cooperation as an important dimension of bilateral cooperation, Foreign Minister Peiris expressed his sincere appreciation for the valuable vocational training opportunities provided to Sri Lankan youth through the German Technical Training Institutes in Katubedda, Kilinochchi, and the new training institute being set up in Matara. Ambassador Seubert apprised the Foreign Minister on the Mahamodara Maternity Hospital (Helmut Kohl Hospital) in Galle, which is constructed with German assistance.

Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage and senior officials of the Ministry participated in the meeting.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

25 August, 2021

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

UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of freedom of association and peaceful assembly on country visit

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of freedom of association and peaceful assembly, Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voule commencing his official country visit to Sri Lanka from 18 -26 July 2019, called on Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday (18 July).

Foreign Minister Marapana observed that the freedom of association and peaceful assembly is guaranteed to the public under the present Government which embarked on a new trajectory upholding the rule of law and democracy and engaging with the international community including the UN on the promotion and protection of human rights. He added that even with Emergency regulations being effective, the rights of freedom of assembly and of association have not been restricted and observed that a number of protests/ trade union actions have been made in the country in the aftermath of Easter Sunday attacks.

The Special Rapporteur expressed his condolences on the recent terrorist attacks that occurred in April and appreciated the fact that the country was able to recover and ensure the rule of law in the aftermath of the incidents.