News
We don’t have the capacity for a Red Sea deployment on our own
RW tells Arab ambassadors
President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Thursday (Jan. 11) told Arab ambassadors accredited to Colombo that with regard to any SLN deployment to the Red Sea that Sri Lanka did not have the capacity to send a ship by itself.
“The navy said if they were to go, they would like to go with some cover. However, we do not want any Israeli participation in this freedom of navigation operation. We will support whatever measures are taken by the Arab world to mitigate the problems in the Middle East.”
The government’s decision to send a Navy ship to the Red Sea, where ships affiliated with Israel have come under attack by Yemen’s Houthi faction, has raised concerns.
Container terminals at Sri Lanka’s Colombo have seen daily volumes surge as much as 80 percent, a top official said, as the port stepped in as the transshipment hub for Middle Eastern destinatios by-passed by vessels over Houthi attacks.
He stressed Sri Lanka wants to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and will send aid to Gaza once the hostilities end
“We are ready to build one school in Gaza. A Palestinian state must be recognized immediately,” he said stressing that Sri Lanka’s stance on Palestine and the current conflict is very clear.
Wickremesinghe said one country cannot wipe out another nation. “Based on an attack by Hamas, Israel can’t wipe out an entire society that lives in Gaza, which is now close to being obliterated,” he said adding Sri Lanka’s foreign policy now is to maintain closer relations with Arab countries.
“Soon, we will open an embassy in Kazakhstan to replace the one we had in Kabul. With this, we can reach out to Central Asian nations,” he said.
The government’s decision to send a Navy ship to the Red Sea, where ships affiliated with Israel have come under attack by Yemen’s Houthi faction, has raised some concerns.
Meanwhile container terminals at Colombo have seen daily volumes surge as much as 80 percent, a top official said, as the port stepped in as the transshipment hub for Middle Eastern destinations by-passed by vessels over Houthi attacks.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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