The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Türkiye organized three events in Ankara and Istanbul to mark the United Nations Day of Vesak.
The first event was organized in collaboration with the UN Office in Ankara with the participation of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonosi, Head of the UN Office in Ankara Tom Delrue, President of the Directorate for Religious Affairs of Türkiye Prof. Dr. Ali Erbas, diplomatic corps, academia, Turkish friends of Sri Lanka and Turkish media. Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thero of the Walpola Rahula institute was the Guest of Honour.
The programme commenced with the lightning of the traditional oil lamp by the distinguished guests. In her welcome speech, Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Türkiye Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake spoke of the significance of Vesak and the UN Day of Vesak, and on the history of Buddhism, celebrations of Vesak in Sri Lanka, and Buddhist heritage sites worldwide. It was followed by the speech of the UN Resident Coordinator.
Delivering the keynote address, Ven. Galkande Dhammanada Thero shared insights under the theme “Ways and Means to Increase Global Peace and Harmony: Contribution and relevance of Buddhist Philosophy”,.
Analysing the origin and universality of religious values, Ven. Thero underscored that religions have emerged and developed in diverse geographical regions, and at different times, throughout history. "Each religion includes teachings that are specific to its context, shaped by the environment, cultures and circumstances in which it originated. However, beyond these contextual teachings, every religion contains universal values—what we might call civilizational values—that transcend their origins, and are applicable to all humanity", the Ven. Thero added.
The Head of the UN Office Tom Delrue recalled his positive and nostalgic experience in working with multi-ethnic communities in Sri Lanka during the time of conflict, when he was working with an international NGO.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonosi, highlighted that “after years of internal conflict, the people of Sri Lanka show us that people with different beliefs and cultural backgrounds can live together peacefully.”
The message of the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See also touched upon the commonalities between the Christianity and the Buddhism and how these common elements resonate in promoting global peace and harmony.
In addition to the above event, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ankara also organized a similar event in Istanbul to commemorate the UN Day of Vesak with multi-religious dignitaries and the diplomatic corps in Istanbul at the Crimean Memorial Church which has a connection to Sri Lanka. The current church, constructed between 1858 and 1868 in memory of British soldiers who had died in the Crimean War and had been closed in 1972 due to a lack of congregation and was reopened with the efforts of the present Chaplain, Canon Ian Sherwood. He led work to restore the derelict building, much of which was performed by a group of Sri Lankan refugees who fled to Istanbul at the time of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. It is noted that among these refugees were mostly Sri Lankans of non-Christian religious backgrounds. But all of them, been grateful to the Church for providing them with shelter and care, contributed to the rebuilding process; a beautiful story where people of different religions came together.
The event was attended by Deacon Epiphanios Dmytro Kamianovych, representing His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, Fr. Eleuthère Makuta, Ofm, responsible for Interreligious Dialogue and Peace of the Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, Deputy of the Muftu of Istanbul Ahmet Akturkoglu, diplomats and Turkish friends.
The Embassy also organized an interactive session with the Sri Lankan community in Istanbul at the Bahçeşehir University in collaboration with the newly appointed Hony. Consul of Sri Lanka in Istanbul Aydin Ozü.
All the events concluded with Q & A sessions to increase dialogue and understanding.
Further, the Embassy also celebrated Vesak at the Chancery premises with colourful lights, Vesak lanterns, and Buddhist flags portraying the Sri Lankan traditions of celebrating Vesak.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Ankara
07 June 2024
