Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy

In recent days, many newspapers have carried reports of the new directions in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. One of the most encouraging statements was by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dinesh Gunawardena, where he stated that Sri Lanka wished to be friends with all countries. A more controversial statement was by one of the newly appointed top officials, where he stated that so far, Sri Lanka’s foreign policy had been Western-oriented and it should be more Asian-oriented in the future.

Sri Lanka’s foreign policy was arguably Western-oriented between 1947 and 1956 when the country had a defense agreement with the U.K. Since 1956, and until 1977, Sri Lanka’s foreign policy was clearly non-aligned and U.N. focussed. Between 1977 and 1990, with a new market-oriented economic policy, there was some slant towards the West, although the stated policy continued to be non-alignment. With internal civil unrest, Sri Lanka’s foreign policy became more defensive and less engaged in foreign affairs in the period 1977 to the present day.

Whatever the past has been, in an increasingly turbulent world, and an equally unsettled situation in the Asian region, the best option for Sri Lanka is to go back to an active foreign policy which is non-aligned and U.N.-centric. The country’s foreign policy has to take note of, not only military security, but also its political and economic security, and its trading arrangements. Most of our exports go to the West and our employment prospects depend on those exports. The country depends on remittances from the Middle East. It has important export markets in the Middle East and our oil comes from there. Most of our investments come from the West. Sri Lanka’s tourists come from both East and West. Sri Lanka also depends on multilateral institutions like the World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development Bank for financial support. We have significant numbers of people of Sri Lankan origin in places like Australia, Canada and other countries of the west. They could be an important asset.

The United Nations is an important instrument in maintaining international peace and security and providing assurance especially to small countries like Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka needs to play an active role in U.N. institutions in New York, Geneva and elsewhere. Multilateralism has to be an essential ingredient in our foreign policy.

The foreign policy experience of Sri Lanka between 1970 and 1977 when Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike was Prime Minister, is well worth closer scrutiny for lessons to be learnt in the future crafting of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. During this period, Sri Lanka was a truly non-aligned country and hosted the fifth Non-Aligned Summit in August 1976 in Colombo. Within the United Nations, Sri Lanka played an active role. In New York, Sri Lanka chaired the influential Israeli Practices Committee with Shirley Amarasinghe as Chairman. Amarasinghe was the President of the U.N. General Assembly in 1976, and he was also to be elected Chairman of the International Law of the Sea Conference. In Geneva, Gamani Corea was Secretary General of UNCTAD, and Sri Lanka and UNCTAD played key roles in the North-South dialogue which was then taking place on transforming international economic relations. Sri Lanka also played an active role at the World Food Conference in Rome in 1974. Mrs. Bandaranaike was awarded the prestigious CERES Medal by the F.A.O. for her active engagement in food and agricultural issues at the time of the world food crisis

It is not beyond Sri Lanka to craft a genuinely independent foreign policy while safeguarding her political, economic and military interests. The experience between 1970 to 1977 is well worth looking at. A new foreign policy has to be non-aligned and U.N.-centric with multilateralism as a key feature.

Leelananda De Silva.