Macron - not a visit! A mere transit says Gammanpila

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday accused the Government yesterday of misleading the public by claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron visited Sri Lanka, thereby becoming the first French President to do so.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters he also criticised the Government’s assertions that Macron had pledged support to Sri Lanka in resolving the ongoing economic crisis.

“This is yet another farce. The French President did not visit Sri Lanka; he merely had a transit stop at the airport. Transit passengers are not considered as visitors to the country,” he alleged. 

“If we are to go by the Government’s claims then those who transit via the airport must be considered as tourists as well. This brings into question if the Government is in fact doing this given the recent claims of rising tourist arrivals,” he added. 

Gammanpila said that the Government had compelled the French to hold an emergency meeting at the airport during a fuel stopover and is now presenting it as an official visit. “In light of the Government’s claim of an official visit, I challenge them to disclose the details of any bilateral agreements that were signed and to release the joint statement issued by the parties involved,” he said.