Religious Blessing to mark Christmas

December 18, 2015

Remarks to Media by Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs on Human Rights Day

December 14, 2015

Remarks to Media by Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs
on Human Rights Day
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 10th December 2015

Ladies & Gentleman,

Today is Human Rights Day, as you know. And as in the past, Sri Lanka will join the countries of the world in commemorating this important event. But this year, Sri Lanka’s commemorations will not only be symbolic – it will also be substantive. So I am very pleased to announce that Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will today, this morning in New York, in fact, will be signing the International Convention on Enforced Disappearances.

As you are aware, Sixty-seven years ago, in 1948, as the world was recovering from the unspeakable horrors of the Second World War, delegates from around the world convened to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming every person’s right to liberty, equality, and justice under the law.

In commemorating that event, 10th December, is celebrated internationally as ‘Human Rights Day’.

This year’s Human Rights Day, internationally, will be marked by the launch of a year-long campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the UN General Assembly on the 16th of December 1966.

The campaign titled “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.”, revolves around the theme of rights and freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

And Today is a special day for us in Sri Lanka as well. It is the first Human Rights Day since the January 8th Presidential election and Rainbow Revolution and the launch of an era of consensus-based politics under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

As you know, during the last decade or so, in Sri Lanka, human rights were always spoken as an alien concept. The universal values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law were made out to be alien concepts or western values as the previous government called it and they used to say it’s western values and infringing on our country’s sovereignty.

But, on the 8th of January, we changed all that. The people of this country, upholding the best traditions of democracy, used the power of the ballot to vote for change and through that ballot, t he people of Sri Lanka acknowledged that each and every human being, not only in this country, but all over the world, irrespective of race, creed, gender or income level – are bound by common and inalienable rights that we all share as human beings. By just this singular act alone, Sri Lanka took the world by surprise and captured the attention of the world community. By repeating this feat on the 17th of August again, the people of this country, together with the Government, have undertaken to travel on the path of establishing good governance, rule of law, and human rights, including taking steps for reconciliation, and non-recurrence – which we believe are essential ingredients if Sri Lanka is to achieve durable peace, security, sustainable development and prosperity for all.

So it was in this background, that just last night, the Cabinet of Ministers, in keeping with the mandate and vision of our Government to promote and protect the human rights of all citizens and ensure non-recurrence, took an extremely important and decisive step to sign the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which demonstrates the seriousness of which the Government considers this issue. In keeping with this decision taken last night, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative in New York will today, I believe this morning in New York, will sign this Convention. In fact, the Cabinet of Ministers also authorised the Legal Draftsman to undertake the drafting of necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention, and the ratification of the Convention once enabling legislation is passed by Parliament, which we hope to do in January next year.

In fact, we all know that this is an issue that has plagued and pained our nation for long years. All, irrespective of race, religion, language or geographic location, have been affected by this crime for several decades, even in situations that are unrelated to conflict or unrest. The criminalization of enforced disappearance will provide protection to each and every citizen of this country and will help ensure that the terror of the White Van culture does not reign in our society ever again.

We must also remember that the alleged opposition between security and human rights is also a false one. The right to life, the right to live without fear, the right to seek the protection of the law are all human rights. But so is the right to freedom, the right to non-discrimination and the right of self-expressions. These rights, for the most part, complement rather than contradict each other. And where there is a tension, the rights need to be balanced to ensure that each and every citizen can live a flourishing and full life.

And as a Government, we are dedicated to strengthen the human rights of all, strengthen the rule of law and the national Human Rights Commission.

And, we all know that there can be no lasting peace, no prosperity in our land unless all enjoy freedom and justice as equals. Therefore, we must, as a nation, dedicate ourselves, to not resort, as in the past, to defending the human rights ‘records’ of our Governments but to instead stand up always to defend human rights as a mature and responsible nation. Stand up, speak and act at all times in defence of the human rights of all our citizens. This, I believe, is in our own interest as a nation and there is no need to be defensive about granting to our people, the rights which are due to them. There is no need to fear having a frank and honest dialogue with human rights defenders and UN Special Procedures or our bilateral partners. Engagement makes us stronger. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have shown us the way. This is not a partisan issue. Strengthening human rights must receive the support of all, including all in Parliament. Related legislation must not mistakenly be viewed as partisan. Human rights is something that must be considered at a supranational level. Upholding rights, putting in place due legislation, strengthening the rule of law, establishing the independence of related institutions including the judiciary will benefit all, each and every individual, beyond party politics, beyond race, religion or creed.

Upholding human rights at home, I feel, also enables us to credibly point towards injustice and oppression in the world. In fact, Sri Lanka was once a country that was able to call on the world’s conscience – raising issues that affected the populations of the entire developing world on the world stage. If we are to regain that position and act as a voice and inspiration for others around the world, we must ensure that human rights at home are protected and secure.

Thank you.

Common values are important and not the power of wealth – President Sirisena tells Commonwealth

November 30, 2015

President Maithripala Sirisena said he is fully satisfied with the accomplishment of goals set at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo and during the period of the last two years, when Sri Lanka was the Chair in Office of the Commonwealth.

Addressing the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta yesterday, on November 27, the President said that there was progress made in areas such as poverty eradication, promotion of trade, sustainable development, involvement of youth in development activities, growth, equality and dignity of the citizens. The President said that he was extremely happy that the Queen attended the Summit and praised her great leadership.

The President pointed out the issues such as sustainability development greatly emphasized during the CHOGM in Colombo in 2013, have been raised subsequently in the United Nations and the President highlighted that what is important is common values and not the power of wealth. He emphasized the imperative need to achieve growth, equality and dignity for the people and emphasized the need for greater protection of the environment.

Referring to the Kotte Statement issued during the CHOGM 2013 in Colombo, he categorically stated the need to enhance trade initiatives to expand private sector engagement in trade and economic activity.

President Sirisena praised the work of the outgoing Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and thanked him for the excellent support and cooperation extended to him as Chair in Office. He offered best wishes to the Chair in Office, Malta Premier Joseph Muscat.

The text of the Address of the President at the Opening ceremony of CHOGM 2015 follows below:-

Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth,
Honorable Joseph Muscat – Prime Minister of Malta,
Honorable Kamalesh Sharma – Secretary General of Commonwealth,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am very pleased for this opportunity to address you as the out-going Chairman of the Commonwealth. I am extremely happy for the participation of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth, whom we all acknowledge as the Head of the Commonwealth and a great leader for us in the Commonwealth.

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

Sri Lanka is a founding member of the Commonwealth, and we are very pleased about its growth over the past few years.

The influence of the Commonwealth has helped to guide the political and social behavior of all our members. The common values we share bind us together, and, not the power or the wealth of the member States.

Two years ago when we met in Sri Lanka we agreed that achieving growth with equity and inclusivity must be the main concerns of the Commonwealth.

We also noted that promoting Sustainable Development will require intensified efforts both nationally and internationally. I am further pleased to note that the United Nations also has given priority to Sustainable Development Goals, meaning, integrating our efforts with the United Nations.

We recognized that young people today are the foundation for a prosperous tomorrow. Therefore we conveyed our abiding interest in our younger generation by adopting the Magampura Declaration of Commitment to Young People.

We welcomed the establishment of the Commonwealth Youth Council and Sri Lanka was pleased to host the first Commonwealth Youth Council Meeting.

The Commonwealth is the home to a population of over two billion people. A majority of them live in developing, and least developed member countries. Uplifting their living standards should be our short term goal, medium term goal and long term goal. We recognize that trade and investment play an important role in employment generation, poverty reduction and advancing economic prosperity. Support for value addition industries, instead of raw material sales by our countries, should receive greater attention.

The Kotte Statement that we issued at the Colombo Summit reiterated our commitment to promote Commonwealth investment flows and private sector engagements. This is the demand from our developing country friends and their economies.

As the outgoing Chair we are satisfied when we look back on the work that has been accomplished during the past two years. I thank all Commonwealth Heads of Government for their support and help during my term as the Chair in Office.

We gratefully acknowledge the contribution made by Secretary General Honorable Kamalesh Sharma and the support he and his staff extended to the Commonwealth, personally to me, my Government and the people of Sri Lanka.

Finally, I congratulate Malta as our host and as the Commonwealth Chair in Office for next two years. I convey my heartfelt best wishes to the Honourable Prime Minister and the friendly people of Malta, and thank them for the excellent arrangements made for our ongoing meeting.

Thank you.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo

28 November 2015

Foreign Minister Samaraweera signs agreement for creation of Commonwealth Trade Finance Fund for Small States

November 29, 2015

Foreign Minister MangalaSamaraweera together with the Foreign Ministers of India, Malta and Mauritius signed a Declaration of Intent for the creation of a Commonwealth Trade Finance Facility to assist boost trade and investment flows, particularly for small and developing countries in Malta on 26th November 2015.

The voluntary fund hopes to attract start-up capital of $20 million and will provide member countries facing trade challenges with the finance they need to increase their trade capacity. It is estimated for every dollar invested, the fund will generate $20.The Facility, structured as a guarantee fund, will cover risk for providers of trade credit in financial institutions of Commonwealth countries. It seeks to stimulate lending by major banks to smaller banks in member states and reduce risk.

Sri Lanka was one of the four countries that signed the declaration as anchor investors and has contributed to set up the facility.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo

27 November 2015

Invest in East 2016: Second International Investor Forum for Eastern Sri Lanka

November 24, 2015

The Chief Ministry of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka will be organising for the second time, a special Investment Promotion Forum for the Eastern Province on 28th of January 2016. The Forum will be a collaborative initiative with the Ministries and Agencies mandated with Investment Promotion and Economic Development of the Central Government.

The theme if the Forum is “Creating Conducive Environment for Investments and Employment Creation”, especially in the post conflict development context.

The Forum is expected to attract wide participation from both local and foreign stakeholders. A number of project proposals have been compiled in preparation of the Forum in areas covering agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, tourism and small industries, and will be made available to potential investors attending the Forum. Sector specific investment promotion materials will also be available promoting the opportunities in the Province.

Speakers at the Forum will include Government officials, captains of Industry, tourism operators, corporate bodies, business associations and many other interest groups and individuals.

The Forum is aimed at improving the investment climate and to further encourage the inflow of domestic and foreign investment into the economy of the region.The formation and promotion of brand “Invest in East” to the world, particularly to the Sri Lankan diaspora is also a key objective.

For further details of the Forum and registration, please contact:

TRINCOMALEE  OFFICE      
Mr. Samantha Abeywickrama
Tel: +94-26 2-226-059

COLOMBO OFFICE
Ms. Thilakarani Fernando
Tel: +94-11-2-300-488

Fax. +94-11-2-303-318         Email: info@investineast.lk

Remarks to the Media by Foreign Minister following talks with US Permanent Representative to the UN

November 24, 2015

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

It has been an honour and a privilege today to welcome Ambassador Samantha Power to this historic Republic building.

As all of you know, Ambassador Power is the second member of President Obama’s Cabinet to visit Sri Lanka in the space of a year.

This I believe indicates the level of excellence that relations between our two countries have now reached.

I met Ambassador Power in New York in February for the first time soon after being sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maithripala Sirisena administration. We have come a long way since then in laying the foundation for a strong Sri Lanka-US partnership.

Ambassador Power has been, and continues to be, a good friend of Sri Lanka. Even in the most difficult times, she always maintained faith and trust in the people of this country and in the latent strengths of our nation.

Her presence here with us is a source of encouragement to us as we proceed on the journey we began on the 8th of January to make our country a truly peaceful, reconciled, prosperous, nation which abides by the best democratic traditions; promoting and protecting the human rights of each of our citizens and celebrating the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual nature of our society.

Today, Sri Lanka is taken note of by the world community, not merely in terms of geographic positioning but in terms of the changes that have been ushered in by the people of our country.

In our meeting, we discussed about working together to ensure that the people of our country benefit from these changes and from the peace and democratic dividend; ways of making our partnership stronger, including enhancing bilateral trade and investment.

It is a challenging path that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. We have a long way to go and this is the first time that the people of Sri Lanka require the assistance of the international community to ensure that are gains are built upon; the dreams of our people are realized, and we define and create our future today by our hopes and aspirations without being held back anymore by the fears and prejudices of the past.

I am grateful to Ambassador Power for undertaking this visit. I look forward to staying engaged with her, and to work closely with her to further enhance US-Sri Lanka relations. I wish Ambassador Power and her team a very pleasant stay in Sri Lanka.

Thank you very much.

Deepavali Celebration

November 19, 2015

Deepavali Celebration organised by this High Commission will be celebrated on Sunday 22 November 2015 from 3.30 to 6.00 pm at the Sri Lanka High Commission premises.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs visits Washington DC

November 4, 2015

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha De Silva, following his visit to attend the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit in Mexico, visited Washington DC on October 30, with a view to further promoting United States-Sri Lanka bilateral relations, in particular on economic and business matters. During his visit, he met senior officials of the US State Department, US Department of Treasury, US Department of Commerce, Office of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as well as the World Bank.

During his discussions with US officials, Dr. Harsha De Silva emphasized the importance of further promoting economic and business relations with the United States in the light of path breaking transformation taking place in Sri Lanka in terms of political reforms and addressing accountability issues. He discussed with US senior officials ways and means to achieve these objectives with the tools available and being designed by both countries.

Deputy Minister during his stay in Washington visited the newly opened Chancery building of the Embassy, becoming the first official visitor from Sri Lanka to visit the premises. Addressing the staff on this occasion, Dr. Harsha De Silva, alluding to the policies of the Government, emphasized the need to further promote both political and economic relations with the United States for the benefit of the people of both countries.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington D.C.

3 November 2015

Michelle Rowland, MP (Australian Labor Party) meets High Commissioner

October 21, 2015

Ms. Michelle Rowland, MP (Labor – ALP)  for Greenway, New South Wales called on High Commissioner, H.E. Somasunderam Skandakumar at the High Commission on 20th October. The constituency of Greenway comprise many Sri Lankans who have made their home in Australia. Ms. Rowland is a member of the Australia Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group and a lawyer by profession.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (DFAT) funded programme for Senior Public Servants in Sri Lanka

October 15, 2015

Twenty five Senior Public servants in Sri Lanka participated Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia funded Professional Skills Development Progarmme in September 2015 which was a collaboration between the Department of Management of the Monash University and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA).

During the five-week programme, the group also visited several places in the Australian capital including the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra. The Sri Lanka High Commissioner and the staff hosted them to lunch on 13 October 2015 at the Chancery.