Official Visit by Hon. (Prof.) G.L. Peiris MP. Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka and the Parliamentary Delegation to Australia 18th to 22nd June 2013
July 1, 2013
Hon. (Prof.) G.L. Peiris MP., Minister of External Affairs made an official visit to Australia from 18th to 22nd June 2013 accompanied by a delegation of Parliamentarians including Hon. Namal Rajapaksa MP. Other Parliamentarians in the delegation were Hon. Lohan Ratwatte MP, Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala MP, and Hon. Wasantha Senenayake MP.
The visit commenced with bilateral discussions with the Federal government leaders including the Hon Senator Bob Carr, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia and senior government officials in Canberra on 18th and 19th followed by visits to Sydney and Melbourne.
Hon. Minister and the delegation had wide ranging bilateral discussions with the Federal Government Leaders and the officials. The main Sri Lanka Delegation for bilateral and Ministerial discussions were Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, Hon. Namal Rajapaksa MP and the High Commissioner Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe.
In Canberra, Hon. Minister also met with the Australian Minister of Defence, Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Hon. Brendan O’Connor, Deputy Opposition Leader Hon. Julie Bishop and the Shadow Immigration Minister Hon. Scott Morrison, in addition to the bilateral discussions he had with the Foreign Minister. He had also met the Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Hon. Anna Burke.
The Prime Minister of Australia Hon. Julia Gillard met the Sri Lanka delegation and the Minister exchanged courtesies in the presence of Hon. Senator Bob Carr. Hon. Prime Minister reiterated the Australian government’s commitment for the CHOGM and Australia’s participation.
The Sri Lanka-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group organized a meeting with the Sri Lankan Parliamentarians at the Parliament House to discuss parliamentary affairs and to plan future activities within the Friendship Group of the two Parliaments. This meeting was also attended by Hon. MEA and the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Tony Abbott. At this meeting, it was agreed to arrange an Exchange Programme for Youth Parliamentarians between the two Parliaments in the future. The Leader of the Opposition pledged that in the event of his party forming a government in the near future that they would fully support the CHOGM in Sri Lanka and would further enhance the existing bilateral relations between Australia and Sri Lanka.
Hon. MEA and the Parliamentary delegation attended the Question Time of the Parliamentary House Representatives to witness the lively debate on Migration Bill.
Hon. Minister of External Affairs and the Parliamentary delegation also visited the High Commission and carried out an inspection tour of the newly built Chancery which was followed by a lunch hosted by the staff of the Mission. Addressing the staff, Hon. Minister commended the work carried out by the Mission and reiterated the importance of the occupants of the building to be working with commitment and dedication to fulfill the vision of the Government.
Signifying the visit, two saplings were planted by Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris and Hon. Namal Rajapaksa in the High Commission premises.
Minister and the delegation had also an opportunity to participate at a discussion with the Sri Lankan community and during this meeting the Hon. Minister explained in detail about the government’s post conflict achievements. The community members expressed the desire to assist the Government in the development process. Hon. Minister and Hon. Namal Rajapaksa responded to a number of questions raised by the audience.
In the evening of 18th June Hon. Minister declared open a photographic exhibition on Sri Lanka at the High Commission building main foyer amidst a large gathering of Australian Parliamentarians, Heads of diplomatic Missions in Canberra and officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Immigration. Addressing the gathering, Hon Minister outlined the Sri Lanka’s post-conflict achievements, progress and the challenges faced. Hon. Minister also gave a briefing on the preparation for the CHOGM 2013 to be held in Sri Lanka in November 2013.
The highlight of the Sydney visit on 20th June was the well-attended Business Lunch organized by the Consul General in collaboration with the Board of Investments in Sri Lanka. Hon. Barry O’Farrell, the Premier of New South Wales participated and spoke of opportunities of trade and commerce for both countries. The Chairman of BOI, Dr. Lakshman Jayaweera made a presentation of the opportunities for investors in Sri Lanka and its advantages. Consul General Mr. Bandula Jayasekera conducted the event. This event afforded opportunity for business networking amongst the participants.
The Civil Society event at the Australian Institute of International Affairs was attended by mixed representatives of Australian and Sri Lankan community. Hon. Minister made a public address on the theme of “Between Two Giants: Role of Sri Lanka in the Asian Century”. The address generated variety of questions on Sri Lanka, which were answered by the Hon. Minister clearing all doubts.
In Melbourne on 21st June, Hon. Minister ceremonially declared open the Sri Lanka Consulate General Office amidst a large gathering of Sri Lankan representatives and five State Parliamentarians. Leading Buddhist Clergy and other religious leaders were also present to offer blessings.
The Sri Lankan Airline Office was also declared open by the Hon. Minister at the invitation of Chairman Mr. Nishantha Wickramasinghe who was present. During the discussion the Chairman indicated the intention of commencing the air connectivity Colombo/Melbourne by December 2013 subject to availability of wide bodied aircrafts, a matter under discussion.
A well-attended Business Forum was held to promote export, investment and tourism which were organized by the Consul General in collaboration with BOI, Sri Lanka and Australian business community in Melbourne. Chairman BOI made a similar presentation which he did in Sydney. Hon. Minister outlined the post conflict opportunities and incentives in Sri Lanka for Business and investment and explained the tremendous infrastructure development projects supporting these new investment opportunities. The presentation by Mr. Paul Cooper of “Rinstrum Australia” and Mr. Tom Spall of “Ansell Lanka” giving their personal experiences of doing business in Sri Lanka was clear success stories encouraging investors.
A Youth Forum organized by the YSLP (Young Sri Lankan Professionals) in collaboration with Unite and Lead Sri Lanka was attended by young Sri Lankan Australian professionals. Members of the Sri Lankan Unite were also present. The theme was to help Sri Lanka in the spheres of education, trade, commerce and human resource management. Hon. Minister explained the progress made and the opportunities available in Sri Lanka for young professionals. During the lively question and answer session, Hon. Namal Rajapaksa interacted extensively with the youth and answered all questions encouraging their assistance.
A proposal made by YSLP in capacity building in the Sri Lankan Universities in the field of trade and investment law with the help of Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs and Australia aid programme was handed over to Hon. Minister requesting formal representation to the Australian government.
During the tour the Hon Minister had the opportunity to engage with many media programmes including the interview by ABC Television in the Parliament premises where he outlined some of the issues discussed with the Australian Foreign Minister. This interview can be viewed on www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-19/asylum-seekers-on-srilankan-ministers-agenda/4766280. He was also interviewed by Daniel Flitton of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the article appeared on 20th June 2013.
Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent of the National News Paper “The Australian” Mr. Greg Sheridan interviewed the Minister and the article appeared on the 22nd June publication. Hon. MEA also did a radio interview by ABC News Radio.
James Oaten of ABC TV news line interviewed Hon. MEA which covered questions on post conflict, human smuggling, CHOGM, Human Rights and Sri Lanka-China relationship. The programme was telecasted at 2100 IST on 25th June 2013, in the progrmame “The World”. This interview can be viewed on www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-25/sri-lankan-foreign-minister-disputes-refugee-claims/4777790.
Representatives from community radio stations and the community papers also had several interactions with the Hon. Minister to clarify matters with respect to current situation in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka High Commission
Canberra
26.06.2013