Govt. to draft new laws preventing unilateral exit from international agreements

The government has taken the initiative to draft new legislation aimed at preventing unilateral revocation from

bilateral and multilateral agreements. This is considered vital for national development, ensuring that such actions require the consent of all relevant parties.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe this week sought the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to direct the Legal Draftsman in preparing a bill to ensure the enforcement of bilateral and multilateral agreements, safeguarding against any deviation from them without the consent of the relevant parties.

In May this year, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to enact laws to prevent deviations from bilateral and multilateral agreements without the consent of relevant parties as the country faced a diplomatic backlash following the cancellation of several international agreements including East Container Terminal (ECT) and Light Railway Transit (LRT) projects.
Backtracking on Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement by the previous government led by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is also a case in point.

Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunawardena emphasised that such arbitrary decisions without consulting other parties had damaged the country’s credibility in the global stage. 
At present, Sri Lanka is in the process of entering into a number of new bilateral trade agreements along with plans to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). 

In addition, the government has also requested the Japanese government to revive the canceled Light Railway Transit (LRT) project.
The proposed legislation is expected to restrict future governments from arbitrarily canceling or deviating from bilateral and multilateral agreements without obtaining the consent of the other party and thereby restoring Sri Lanka’s credibility globally.