Sri Lanka-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Association visit to Switzerland

A delegation of Members of Parliament representing the Sri Lanka-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Association (SLSPFA) visited Geneva on 18 October, continuing with a week-long program of visit to Switzerland from 14 to 20 October.  The multi-party delegation, led by Deputy Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament Ananda Kumarasiri, comprised SLSPFA President Jayampathy Wickramaratne, as well as Seenithamby Yoheswaran, J.C. Alawathuwala, Edward Gunasekara, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe, Bimal Rathnayake, Charles Nirmalanthan, K.K. Piyadasa, K. Sujith Perera and Ishak Rahuman.

At the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka, the Members of Parliament were warmly welcomed by Ambassador A. L. A. Azeez and the Mission’s staff, and were hosted to a high tea reception. 

The delegation’s program in Geneva included meetings with the officials and experts of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. They also visited the United Nations Office in Geneva, following which they were hosted to lunch by Permanent Representative of Switzerland in Geneva.  

In the capital city of Bern and other cities they visited, the delegation engaged with Members of Parliament and high officials of Switzerland on a wide range of matters of bilateral significance. They also familiarised themselves with the workings of the Swiss democratic institutions and the cantonal system, as well as development cooperation and trade, investment and migration policies of Switzerland.