“We oppose excessive interference and special mechanisms”

Sri Lanka would continue to engage purposefully and cordially with the UN but opposes excessive interference into the internal affairs of the country, Foreign Minister G. L Peiris last week told a group of 17 visiting ambassadors/high commissioners in Colombo but objected to the setting up of a ‘special mechanism’ by the UN whose sole purpose, he said, was to collect data to use against Sri Lanka.

There was no way of knowing what such data was and therefore we had no opportunity to test the truth in these allegations, he explained.

The meeting followed the presentation of credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by the envoys, mostly non-resident Heads of Mission based in New Delhi and concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry said.

Prof Peiris welcomed them and stated that the Sri Lankan Government looked forward to strong and substantial relationships with them all.

During his previous tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Government felt that there was insufficient representation in the African continent and deliberate efforts were made to strengthen relations with the African countries.

The present Government under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is also looking towards forming close bonds with the African nations as well as consolidating relations with the African Union, Peiris said.

He briefed the Ambassadors on the current situation and developments in Sri Lanka saying the country had achieved substantial successes even after its planned structural strategies, priorities and frameworks were disrupted by the Covid19 pandemic.

Ninety percent of people over 30 have been double vaccinated and the country is now providing booster shots, he said. We had an efficient health care and delivery system supported by the armed forces who made that sure vaccines reached even remote areas of the country.

The Ambassadors were briefed on the resilience of the private sector which adapted to post-covid needs. The apparel industry, for instance, began producing face masks and PPE kits to meet global demand ensuring that the country’s export income remained stable and jobs were not lost.

In the case of remittances, the minister acknowledged they were affected due to a large number of Lankans working abroad returning home due to the pandemic. He stated that the Government was in discussions with many countries since many now want to return to their jobs.

The Foreign Minister also explained that the country was ravaged by a 30-year conflict saying a conflict of such magnitude is bound to leave residues. It has taken other countries decades to recover and Sri Lanka has made every effort to deal with residual problems.

He listed mechanisms like the Office of Missing Persons, Commissions of Inquiry, ONUR, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka saying that all these were working towards tackling the remnants of the conflict.

On commitment to gender empowerment and gender equality, Peiris said the Human Rights Commission is headed by a former female judge of the Supreme Court and that Sri Lanka is working towards more female representation in decision making.

He called for the empathy of the Ambassadors and High Commissioners present and their backing on international platforms stating that it was important for the UN to support the efforts made by a country to get back on its feet and not pull it down.

Local institutions must be given the space and time to find solutions that sustain the culture and ethics of an individual country Pieris concluded by inviting the mission heads to join the upcoming National Day celebrations in February 2022 and stated that Sri Lanka looks forward to stronger bilateral relations and cooperation in the UN arena.