President attends opening session of G77+China summit

Monday, 16 June 2014 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday evening attended the opening ceremony of the Golden Jubilee of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China (G77+China), held at the Expo Cruz Center in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The summit was organised under the theme ‘For a New World Order for Living Well’. The plenary session of the summit will commence Sunday morning (Bolivia time). Heads of State of and high-level delegations of the 133-member group of 77, and heads of many international organisations were among the dignitaries who attended the opening ceremony, which was held under the patronage of the current G77 Chairman, the President of Bolivia Evo Morales, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN General Assembly President John W. Ashe.

G77 reflects the brotherhood among developing nations, President Morales said adding that it was able to achieve much during the past 50 years. However, the world at present is faced with many crises, he pointed out. Economic and financial crises, power, conflict in values and climate change are the main challenges among them. To eradicate poverty and hunger, to build a better global society, a structural change in the current global system is needed, emphasised the Bolivian President adding that the G77 has a vital role to play in that process. G77, which represents half of the world’s population, should be creatively engaged in the formation of the post-2015 global development agenda, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon said. If the world is to win over climate change, an international treaty with a legal obligation is a must, he added.

Even though South-South cooperation, a main objective of the G77, is a major boost for the future of the world, it should not be a reason to reject South-North cooperation, UN General Assembly President John W. Ashe said. Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Kshenuka Senewiratne, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Cuba Sarath Dissanayake were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

“Let us work together to overcome obstacles”: President tells Namibia

“We must work together to overcome obstacles including unjustified external forces,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob. “The situations of the countries which were subjected to foreign interferences are worse today than before. Those countries are more chaotic, and it is the only thing that had happened.” The meeting between the President and the Namibian Prime Minister took place at Hotel Los Tajibos yesterday. President Rajapaksa is currently visiting Santa Cruz in Bolivia to attend the Golden Jubilee of the G77. During the meeting, Prime Minister Geingob extended the good wishes of his President Hifikepunye Pohamba to President Rajapaksa.

President Rajapaksa, apprising the Namibian Prime Minister of the progress achieved by Sri Lanka following the end of the conflict, pointed out that the country has done much work in the areas of resettling internally displaced persons, rehabilitating and reintegrating ex-combatants, releasing ex-child soldiers and developing infrastructure within a short span of time. “We were able to hold provincial council elections in the North,” the President said. “We have appointed commissions for national reconciliation. One is the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and the other one is the Presidential Commission to Investigate Complaints Regarding Missing Persons. People live in peace. The only ones who are unhappy are the politicians and forces against the country.” The Namibian Prime Minister, explaining the similar situation his country is faced with, expressed his gratitude to President Rajapaksa for Sri Lanka’s assistance extended towards Namibia. Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Kshenuka Senewiratne, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Cuba Sarath Dissanayake were also present at the discussion.