Ministry News

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai held bilateral discussions at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this morning, and during the talks, President Karzai commended President Rajapaksa for achieving peace in the country.

“No matter how the world community puts it, we know that peace in a country is the best guarantor of human rights,” President Karzai said. “War is the worst enemy of human rights. Peace is the vehicle for human growth and prosperity. We have seen that in Sri Lanka, and we congratulate you.”

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Minister of External Affairs and Leader of the Sri Lanka delegation Prof. G.L. Peiris, delivering the National Statement at the High Level Segment of the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today (5 March 2014), rejected the Report of the High Commissioner in its entirety, saying it was fundamentally flawed and disregarded the substantial progress made by the Government during the five years which have elapsed since the end of the thirty year conflict against terrorism. He said it also pays scant regard to the complexities and local nuances of a sensitive reconciliation process, while eroding the confidence of the people of Sri Lanka by the constant changing of unjustifiable demands. Moreover, they persist in an attitude which is clearly disproportionate to the circumstances and inconsistent with the treatment of comparable situations. It is much to be regretted that the High Commissioner’s Report and those who exalt its virtues only seek to inflict harm on the reconciliation process by bringing about a polarisation of the Sri Lankan society.

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Mr. President,
Madam High Commissioner,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.  May I at the outset congratulate you Mr. President, as well as Members of the Bureau on your election as office bearers of this Council. I pledge my delegation’s support to you at all times in the discharge of your office. Sri Lanka also reiterates its continued support to the High Commissioner in the discharge of her mandate as contained in GA Resolution 48/141, to the OHCHR, and to the work of this Council. 

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Hon. Neomal Perera, Acting Minister of External Affairs received H.E. Zarar Ahmad Osmani Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Wednesd ...

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E Mr. Hamid Karzai will be undertaking a State visit to Sri Lanka from 5th to 7th March 2014, at the invitation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It may be noted that ...

The attention of the Ministry of External Affairs has been drawn to a news report which is in wide circulation, attributed to the Ministry stating that “communications are going on with officials in Moscow to bring back ...

Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G.L. Peiris who leads the Sri Lanka delegation to the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) arrives in Geneva on Tuesday (4 March 2014), and is scheduled to deliver the Sri Lanka National Statement at  the High Level Segment of the HRC on the morning of Wednesday.

The 3 day High Level Segment began today with statements by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, President of the UN General Assembly John W. Ashe, President of Human Rights Council Baudelaire Ndong Ella, High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navi Pillay, and the President of the Swiss Federation Didier Burkhalter. Foreign Ministers/Ministerial level heads of delegations participating in the Session will continue to address the meeting over the next two days.

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