Sri Lanka, Algeria agree for regular political consultations
Friday, 6 June 2014 00:43
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Sri Lanka and Algeria, building on the close cooperation between the two countries in international fora, have agreed to hold political consultations on a regular basis, the External Affairs Ministry said.
Minister of External Affairs Professor G.L. Peiris and his Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ramtane Lamamra have signed a comprehensive agreement with regard to regular political consultations.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the recently held 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Algiers on 29 May.
Algeria is Chair of the current Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, while Sri Lanka is Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth and Chair of the Group of 15, which will hold its Summit in Colombo in November this year.
The two ministers, at their bilateral discussions, have noted the very close cooperation between the two countries in international fora.
In a statement to the press at the end of the signing ceremony, Lamamra said the two countries have always contributed to the promotion of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on the international scene.
During the meeting, the Sri Lankan Minister has expressed appreciation to Algeria for its understanding and support to the island nation’s issues at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and Algeria’s vigorous co-operation regarding counter-terrorist activity. He briefed his Algerian counterpart in detail about Sri Lanka’s approach to ongoing reconciliation and, in particular, recent initiatives in this regard.
The Algerian Minister recognising the long struggle of the people of Sri Lanka against terrorism commended the “wisdom and rigour of the leaders and the people of Sri Lanka for the establishment of security, stability and democracy.”
Prof. Peiris also emphasised Sri Lanka’s eagerness to explore avenues of greater collaboration with Algeria in the field of oil and gas, the External Affairs Ministry said.
The two ministers have recognised the importance of upholding the core values of the Non-Aligned Movement, in their application to contemporary situations, and of ensuring the absence of pressure seeking to diminish the space available to countries to resolve issues in keeping with their own priorities and aspirations.
