Remarks to Media by Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Remarks to Media by
Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs
on Human Rights Day
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 10th December 2015.
Ladies & Gentleman,
Today is Human Rights Day, as you know. And as in the past, Sri Lanka will join the countries of the world in commemorating this important event. But this year, Sri Lanka’s commemorations will not only be symbolic – it will also be substantive. So I am very pleased to announce that Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will today, this morning in New York, in fact, will be signing the International Convention on Enforced Disappearances.
Mr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission along with a delegation from the Preparatory Commission meet Hon. Dr. Harsha De Silva, Deputy Foreign Minister at the Ministry today, 4 December 2015.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had an urgent meeting today (2nd December 2015) with the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Colombo at the Parliament complex to express the concerns of the Government of Sri Lanka on the reported judgment of the Dawadmi Court of Saudi Arabia which states that a Sri Lankan national should be stoned to death on the charge of adultery. Ministers Thalatha Atukorale, A.H.M. Fowzie, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment R. K. Obeyesekere and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were associated with the Foreign Minister at the meeting.
A five-member delegation led by Mr. Ilyas Mahomed-Salomovich Umakhanov, Vice Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly visited Sri Lanka from 30th November to 2nd December 2015.
President Maithripala Sirisena said he is fully satisfied with the accomplishment of goals set at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo and during the period of the last two years, when Sri Lanka was the Chair in Office of the Commonwealth.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera together with the Foreign Ministers of India, Malta and Mauritius signed a Declaration of Intent for the creation of a Commonwealth Trade Finance Facility to assist boost trade and investment flows, particularly for small and developing countries in Malta on 26th November 2015.