Foreign Ministry marks National Integration and Reconciliation week

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a special program on Monday 9 January 2017 to mark National Integration and Reconciliation week. The proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation, to declare the week from 8 to 14 January every year, starting from 2017, as the national integration and reconciliation week, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 21 December 2016. 

Under the proposal a number of events are to be held island wide to promote unity, peace, understanding and mutual trust amongst all communities in Sri Lanka. The national flag was hoisted in the presence of all members of the staff and the national anthem was sung in both languages, Sinhala and Tamil, followed by the Reading of the Pledge for National Integration and Reconciliation. 

Thereafter, remarks were delivered on the importance of national integration and reconciliation, for Sri Lanka, and the need to respect the country’s rich diversity of ethnicity, religion and language. 

Sri Lanka Missions abroad also commenced the week, by having events to mark the National Integration and Reconciliation week, including the reading of the Pledge.