Speaker attends Peace Day commemorations in China

Wednesday, 29 October 2014 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa, accompanied by Secretary General Dhammika Dassanayake, recently participated in the commemoration ceremony of the International Day of Peace held in Xi’an City of Shaanxi Province in China. The International Day of Peace was advocated by a United Nations resolution passed in 2011, which declared that it should be celebrated on 21 September. This year’s celebration was organised by The Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD), a peacemaking organisation committed to the studies of arms control and disarmament, non-proliferation, peace and security and sustainable development etc.

It calls for people to aspire to a safer Asia and aims at promoting friendship between Chinese citizens and the people of Asian countries and jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt. Rajapaksa, one of the keynote speakers at the opening ceremony, emphasised that in every person, the desire for peace is an essential aspiration and therefore it was the responsibility of every individual to work towards peace. Highlighting the teachings of the Buddha, Rajapaksa stated that mankind’s duty was to search for peace inside them because peace comes from within and winning oneself is the greatest victory despite the triumphs in hundreds and thousands of battles. “This is the ideal path to achieve one of the most fundamental of human rights – the right to peace,” the Speaker said. Rajapaksa also had a bilateral meeting with China’s People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee Vice Chairman and the President of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, Han Qide during the visit.