Tuesday, 30 September 2014 01:35
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the island yesterday after successfully completing the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA. He also chaired a very fruitful meeting with the US business community during the visit.
During the visit President Rajapaksa met with Indian Prime Minister Nadendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Malta Prime Minister Malta Joseph Muscat, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón and Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, President Rajapaksa stated although the role of the UN in advancing international peace, security and prosperity is crucial in the contemporary world, in order to gain the confidence and goodwill of the international community as a whole, one of the essential requirements is consistency of standards across the board without any perception of selectivity or discrimination.
“It is in this context that the current functioning of the system needs fresh examination in order to enhance its credibility. To be successful, this process must involve de-politicisation of the UN systems and mechanisms and they must stop being hostage to different forms of funding,” he President added.
President Rajapaksa addressing a briefing hosted by Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) said peace and stability in the country was the greatest benefit Sri Lanka could offer to incoming companies. President Rajapaksa also noted that the country was also able to offer a high-skilled workforce.
