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SL should attend SAARC when new dates announced: GL
While criticizing the decision made by the government to boycott the 19th SAARC Summit, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs G. L. Peiris said that Sri Lanka should certainly attend the SAARC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan when the new dates were announced.
He said the government’s decision throws serious doubt on the country’s commitment to SAARC, and had the potential to weaken the organization.
Issuing a statement, Peiris said he deeply regretted the government’s decision to boycott the Summit which was scheduled to be held on October 9 and 10.
“Sri Lanka is a founder member of SAARC. We have no doubt that SAARC, over the years, has made a significant contribution to strengthening the identity of our region. It has provided a useful forum for personal contact among countries of South Asia at the highest level. The deliberations of SAARC have enabled timely focus on issues relating to the political, economic and cultural development of South Asia,” he said.
He emphasized that the organization which had a crucial role to play at the moment has to be protected and strengthened in every way.
“We also attach the greatest value to friendship with countries which stood by Sri Lanka consistently during our struggle against terrorism and subsequently when our nation faced grave challenges at the international level when Sri Lanka was pursued relentlessly and sought to be penalized unjustly,” he said in the statement.
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