Category: News

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha with Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT)

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha who is presently leading the Sri Lanka delegation to the 74^th Session of the UN General Assembly, met with Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT) and his team and Ms. Michéle Coninsx, Assistant-Secretary-General (ASG) and Executive Director of the Counter- Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and other senior officials were associated with the Foreign Secretary.

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Foreign Secretary Aryasinha underscores the relevance of the Bandung Principles as global multilateral mechanisms come under strain

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Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha and Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York H.E. Mrs. Kshenuka Senewiratne and Sri Lanka delegation meeting with Under Secretary General of the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (USSG/UNDPO), Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, at the UN Headquarters in New York on 27th September 2019

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Following the statement of the Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary General yesterday (25 September 2019) that the UN Department of Peace Operations has decided to repatriate a Sri Lankan Army unit and individual officers currently serving with UN Peacekeeping due to concerns on the appointment of Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the Government of Sri Lanka is in discussion on this issue with the UN.  Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is leading the Sri Lanka delegation to the 74^th General Assembly Session is scheduled to discuss this matter with the Under Secretary General of the UN Department of Peace Operations, on Friday, 27 September 2019.

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Mr. President,

We would like to refer to the follow-up report of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances on the implementation of the recommendations made after its visit to Sri Lanka in 2015.

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Mr. President,

Subsequent to the most abominable terrorist attacks over 4 months ago on Easter Sunday Sri Lanka was put to test. However, we witnessed the continued resilience of Sri Lanka’s security forces to protect the country and its people, while ensuring fundamental rights, consistent with the pledges it has made before this Council. These range from the speedy restoration of security which has minimized the impact on the country’s socio-economic fabric and upheld its international reputation, the lifting of the State of Emergency within 4 months, providing the ICRC full access to individuals detained, engaging in an informed debate on seeking to upgrade the new counter terrorism legislation, and in deference to the sensitivities of the Muslim community, adjustment of the regulation banning full facial cover attire. The Government remains committed to combating hate speech and all forms of crimes directed against ethnic and religious communities and is taking steps to counter religious radicalization and violent extremism.

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Ambassador Azeez making closing remarks

The 9^th Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) concluded its deliberations in Geneva on 4 September 2019 under the Presidency of Sri Lanka. States parties, signatories, observer states and international and civil society organizations participated in the three-day meeting which convened its first session on 2 September 2019.

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High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Manisha Gunasekera addressing the forum

The Sri Lanka High Commission in London organized a roundtable presentation followed by a networking lunch on ‘Investment and Trade Opportunities in Sri Lanka’ for the British – Sri Lankan business community, on Monday 2 September 2019, at the Holiday Inn Kensington High Street in London.  The roundtable was the first diaspora outreach event organised by the Sri Lanka High Commission under the Economic Diplomacy Programme (EDP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, and was supported by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade and the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka.  Selected members of the British – Sri Lankan community representing all ethnicities, i.e., Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim, with investment or trade potential or already engaged in business, participated in the roundtable on the invitation of the High Commission.  A unique feature of the roundtable was the opportunity it provided to tap into a significant portion of the diaspora hitherto not engaged by the High Commission.

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Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in the UK Manisha Gunasekera and Commercial Section staff headed by Minister Commercial Dr Lakmini Mendis visited the stalls of M/s. Ceylon Jewellery Manufacturers and M/s. MAM Gems from Sri Lanka which showcased their gem and jewellery products, designs and craftsmanship at the International Jewellery London (IJL) 2019 held in Olympia, London from 01 to 03 September 2019.  Retail buyers from more than 70 countries participated in the IJL, which annually showcases the best of luxury products, design and craftsmanship as a pre-eminent destination for British jewellery and leading global brands.

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