AJITH SIRIWARDANA 
Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Ignorance of fmr govt placed SL on collision path: PM
.png)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said despite the integral role played by Sri Lanka towards the establishment of the UN in 1945, the ignorant attitudes of certain politicians and other officials of the previous government placed Sri Lanka on a collision path with the international community, which in turn stalled the country’s journey forward.
The PM made these remarks a short while ago in his address at the event held this morning at the UN Compound in Colombo, to mark twin anniversaries - the 70th UN day and the 60th year since Sri Lanka became a member state of the UN.
“Sri Lanka was a globally reputed state and made a significant contribution towards the establishment of the UN. Unfortunately, we did not receive due recognition towards those efforts and that itself was a major setback,” he noted.
PM Wickremesinghe pointed out Sri Lanka’s political leadership since obtaining UN membership in 1955 has been working closely with the organisation and thereby won a special place in the international community.
He criticized the decisions made by certain politicians and officials of the previous regime that resulted in Sri Lanka embarking on a collision path with the international community.
“The former regime believed that if they allied themselves with states that did not see eye-to-eye with nations that challenged the state of affairs in Sri Lanka, it would help them overcome the issues that arose on an international level,” he said while adding, “The former regime aspired for Sri Lanka to lead the beggars of the international community and thought that it would help fight off battles with powerful nations, failing to understand that it is not the way in which diplomatic relations play out. . .”
Meanwhile the PM’s sentiments on the way in which Sri Lanka’s relations with the UN and its agencies deteriorated during the past few years were reflected in the speech made by President Maithripala Sirisena as well.
He pointed to the way in which a Minister of the former regime challenged the UN by staging a sathyagraha before the UN compound in Colombo and the manner in which such actions were encouraged by the former political leadership when he fed refreshments to the protesting Minister who was on a hunger strike.
“It was such actions that deteriorated the cordial relations between the UN and Sri Lanka. The new government for the past ten months has been making efforts to control that damage and rekindle and restore the relations to its former state,” he said while adding the GoSL’s actions since the beginning of this year, has been aimed towards making it clear that Sri Lanka is a nation that takes its duties and obligations to the international community seriously.
He also commended the media and communications outreach campaign that has been launched titled ‘Our UN. අපේ UN. எங்கள் UN’ to mark the celebration of the twin anniversaries and noted that it would create the necessary mindset within the masses to become ‘one Sri Lanka’.
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy in his address appreciated Sri Lanka’s renewed engagement with the UN and all its partners. He added the trust and cooperation borne out of the new relations was culminated in the recently passed UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka.
The event this morning was attended by top level UN as well as GoSL officials and Sri Lankans who held high ranking positions in the UN. The distinguished attendees including UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Miroslav Jenča who is currently in the island on a four-day official visit. He delivered the statement by UNSG Ban Ki-Moon. Among other guests were Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Minister Rauff Hakeem and Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala. (Lakna Paranamanna)
Comments - 20
Recommended
You May Also Like
