The President of Myanmar U Win Myint has decided to confer the Honorary Religious Title of “Aggamahāpaṇḍita” on four Sri Lankan Buddhist monks and several other Honorary Titles on three Buddhists Priests and one Layman from Sri Lanka, in honor of the 73rd Anniversary of the Independence Day of Myanmar.
Addressing the 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) State Minister for Regional Co-operation, Tharaka Balasuriya, underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to ensure the health of citizens of Sri Lanka and the region. He said this at the Ministerial Panel that was held on 10 December 2020 on the subject of “Upholding Democracy: COVID-19 Pandemic”. The Ministerial Panel focused on sharing state policies of countries to prevent and maintain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outgoing South African High Commissioner in Colombo Robina P. Marks called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Foreign Ministry on 04 December 2020.
The High Commissioner apprised the Minister that the Government of South Africa was keen to obtain assistance from Sri Lankan craftsmen to develop the Jewellery Industry in South Africa. Foreign Minister Gunawardena sought the South African expertise in the canning industry for the food and vegetable industry in Sri Lanka as around 40% of the harvest is wasted in the country due to technology gaps in this field. Besides, the Minister highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and tourism sectors between the two countries. It was also discussed on further expanding tea exports to the African continent through the South African distribution network.
Mr President
Mr Secretary-General
Your Majesties
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
At the outset, I thank H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the General Assembly for convening the Special Session in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as proposed by the Non Aligned Movement and Azerbaijan, Chair of the NAM.
State Minister for Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya delivering the keynote address at the virtual conference; ‘Promoting Sri Lanka’s Interests in the Maritime Domain: Strengthening Cooperation with the European Union’ reiterated that Sri Lanka’s maritime domain is a vital component that can unleash Sri Lanka’s growth potential and achieve the priority areas outlined in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s manifesto ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.
Sri Lanka condemns the assassination of Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and any form of acts of terrorism against humanity. Sri Lanka calls for the stability and security of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region and believes strongly in dialogue and engagement as the most successful means for finding a solution to problems.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
02 December 2020
Excellencies,
Hon.Chairman,
Distinguished delegates,
Ayubowan.
It is my pleasure to be invited to address this august gathering, representing my country.
Let me commence my remarks by congratulating His Excellency Luhut B. Panjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs of Indonesia, UNDP and the AIS Secretariat for organizing this important event.
Eminent international legal luminaries, Managing Director and Head of Projects for Morocco and Sudan at the Max Planck Foundation Prof. Rüdiger Wolfrum and member of the United Nations International Law Commission Sir Michael Wood were among the speakers at a webinar organized by the Foreign Ministry on 20 November 2020, as part of its responsibilities as the lead country for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and security on the theme “The Nexus between Marine Scientific Research (MSR) and Maritime Safety and Security (MSS)”.
The attention of the Ministry was drawn to the comments on Sri Lanka attributed to Chair of The Elders and former Irish President Mary Robinson as a part of a recent statement by The Elders titled ‘The Elders express deep concern at failure to respect US democratic transition of power’ which was contained in several newspapers in Ireland.
In this connection, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom Saroja Sirisena wrote to Mrs Robinson and the Editors of the relevant newspapers drawing attention to the inaccuracy of Mrs Robinson’s comments.
