Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday that there was significant potential for trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka particularly after the Free Trade Agreement 2005 became operational. The Prime Minis ...
අමාත්යාංශයේ මාධ්ය නිවේදන
Joint Press Statement: Pakistan-Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary-level talks
Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Mr. Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Mrs. Kshenuka Senewiratne held Fourth round of Political Consultations on 6th August 2014 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad.
The Sri Lankan delegation comprised of H.E. Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, Sri Lankan High Commissioner, Senior DIG Anura Senanayake, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, Mr. Dharshana Mahendra Perera, Acting DG/South Asia, Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Samantha Wijesekara, Deputy Director, Department of Commerce, Mrs. Tharanga Liyanage, Director (Middle East & SAARC),Department of External Resources and officials of the Sri Lankan High Commission, while senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 12 other Government Departments were part of the Pakistani delegation.
Response to Inquiries on Asylum Seekers
The Ministry of External Affairs has received a number of inquiries on the return of individual asylum seekers, mainly of Pakistan origin.
Sri Lanka’s territory has been used by those seeking asylum for over a decade. However, the asylum seeker/refugee population in Sri Lanka witnessed a dramatic 700 per cent increase during the period 2013-14 and as at 30 June 2014, there are 1562 asylum seekers and 308 refugees. Investigations have revealed that the sudden increase in the number of asylum seekers in Sri Lanka was as a result of people falling victim to commercially driven human trafficking networks which abuse the liberal visa policy in place in the country exacerbated by a sharp increase in the numbers resettled in third countries in 2012. Regrettably, the process of resettlement slowed down considerably in 2013/14. It is therefore questionable whether they have a legitimate claim to seek asylum.
The influx of asylum seekers and their tendency not to have an established place of residence has resulted in serious law & order, security, as well as health related issues for the authorities. In fact, in April 2014, ten cases of malaria were detected among these asylum seekers. This detection was made at a time when Sri Lanka, having achieved zero indigenous cases of malaria for the past several years, was under consideration for obtaining WHO certification.
GL Appreciates Japan’s Constructive Engagement with Sri Lanka
During his discussions with the Japanese Parliamentary delegation which called on him at the Ministry on Friday, 1st August 2014 Professor G.L.Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, expressed appreciation of Japan’s app ...
Media Release
The basis for such training programmes to be funded through the US Embassy is unclear, particularly when the target group has been limited to one geographical region and ethnic group. It is also unfortunate that the Embassy statement chose to ignore the responses provided by the Government following queries raised over the weekend on this issue by US government officials in a spirit of reciprocal engagement, both in Colombo and in Washington D.C.
Foreign Ministers of Sri Lanka and Singapore consolidate strong bilateral ties
Expansion of economic relations in the atmosphere of peace and stability prevailing in the country was the central focus of the bilateral discussions which took place in Singapore on Monday 28th July 2014, between Professor G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, and Mr. K. Shanmugam, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Law of Singapore. The Ministers took advantage of the opportunity to reflect on current developments in Sri Lanka and the region.
Professor Peiris signs Condolence Book at Malaysia Mission
Professor G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, signed the Condolence Book at the High Commission of Malaysia on yesterday (23rd July) in connection with the tragic airline crash. The Minister expressed deep symp ...