Sri Lanka did not pull out from SAARC summit– Mangala

Saturday, 8 October 2016 00:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera making a statement in parliament refuted charges that the Government had decided to boycott the forthcoming SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad highlighting that leaders in the South Asian Region should stand united to eliminate terrorism.Making a statement in Parliament yesterday, Samaraweera stressed on the importance of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the role that Sri Lanka plays as a founder member.

“Terrorism should unite the region in efforts to defeat it. It is a menace and should be defeated. It is time for all leaders in our region to stand together to eliminate terrorism. There is a concern regarding the Pakistan Government issuing a notice to postpone the 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad. At no point will the Government of Sri Lanka pull-out or boycott the SAARC summit. According to the charter, if one country is unable to attend the SAARC summit, we are unable to hold the summit. SAARC summit was postponed on several occasions before,” he said.

SAARC, founded in 1985, has provided a platform for member states to help each other in regional cooperation in areas of economic liberalisation, physical connectivity, security, etc.

According to Minister Samaraweera, the 19th SAARC summit was to be held on 9 and 10 November. “Sri Lanka is a founding member of SAARC. We were among the first countries to support regional cooperation, when it was first discussed. Naturally, we were among the original signatories when the first summit was held in December 1985. Successive Governments of Sri Lanka throughout the history of SAARC spanning over three decades have remained faithful to Regional Corporation. I recall the words of President J. R. Jayawardane at the first summit held on 7 December 1985 in Dhaka. He said that we should approach our targets with hope and optimism. We hope that the full potential of our venture comes to realisation. Its benefits will be incalculable for the welfare of our people and the other member states.” (AH)