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Embassy of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Washington D.C

October 2017

ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT AT THE 72ND SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY It gives me great pleasure to be those excessive powers from the Presidency and entrust able to commence my address to the those powers to the Parliament. 72nd Session of the General Assem- Once I was elected to the Presidency, I have taken bly while congratulating the newly steps, while holding office and while enjoying the right to appointed President and Secretary- exercise those powers, to, in fact, shed those powers and General of the Organisation. In fact, transfer them to the Parliament. I have thus set an exam- it gives me great pleasure to address ple both to national politics in my country and to interna- this august assembly for the third tional politics. time as the Head of State of Sri Lanka. As countries that promote, protect and nurture democ- The theme of this 72nd Session of the General Assem- racy, it is very important that leaders who are elected to bly is ‘Focusing on people: striving for peace and a decent office in democracies take steps to strengthen and protect life for all on a sustainable planet’. democracy, exercise power with great responsibility, and Today, when we take into consideration the prevailing use one’s authority to build a righteous society . conditions in the world, this theme is extremely timely. However, when one observes recent history in the past I was elected President in January 2015. Before being few decades, one witnesses situations where the reluctance elected, there were a number of promises and pledges of leaders to leave office has led to the breakdown of peace that I made to the beloved people of my country. What within those countries, even resulting in the breakdown I particularly mentioned at the time was that, since the of peace and the creation of division, disunity and discord Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka had been vested with between countries in the international arena as well. We more power than in any leader in any other democratic have the benefit of several such examples from history. system in the world, once I am elected, I would remove More SPEAKER AND MULTIPARTY DELEGATION VISIT WASHINGTON D.C. Speaker of the Parliament of election to the Senate at the be- Sri Lanka Karu Jayasuriya led a ginning of this year. Senator Van multiparty parliamentary delega- Hollen is a longtime friend of Sri tion to the U.S. capital from Sep- Lanka. The delegation also met tember 25-29. the present co-chairs of the Sri The delegation included Lanka Caucus, Representatives Minister of Transport and Civil Robert Aderholt and Dina Titus; Aviation Nimal Siripala de , Chairman of the House of Women and Child Affairs Subcommittee on Asia Affairs Chandrani Bandara, State and the Pacific Rep. Ted Yoho; Minister of Irrigation & Water and Ranking Member of the sub- Resources Management , Members Rep. Brad Sherman. of Parliament , and M.A. Following up on the congressional visit to Sri Lanka Sumanthiran, and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament by the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) of the U.S. Neil Iddawala. House of Representatives in February, the delegation met During the visit, Speaker Jayasuriya and the delegation with its Chairman Rep. Peter Roskam, Ranking Member met with the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Rep. David Price, and HDP members Rep. Gerald Con- Paul Ryan at the U.S. Capitol. They also had fruitful discus- nolly and Rep. Gwen Moore. During the previous visit sions with several members of congress from both the re- of Speaker Jayasuriya to Washington D.C. a year ago the publican and democratic parties, including Senator Chris Sri Lanka Parliament and the HDP signed a collaboration Van Hollen, who was the former democratic co-chair of agreement to strengthen partnership between the two leg- the House on Sri Lanka until his islatures. Continue to page 2 1 NEWS - SRI LANKA: Embassy of Sri Lanka The delegation briefed the vancing political and economic reforms, taking concrete members of congress on devel- measures to advance human rights, good governance and opments in Sri Lanka, particu- reconciliation. They acknowledged the importance of en- larly in relation to constitutional hancing and expanding the U.S. – Sri Lanka partnership reforms. The Parliament of Sri in diverse spheres, including at the legislative level, and as- Lanka is marking 70 years of par- sured the support of the U.S. Congress towards this end. liamentary democracy this year. The visit to Washington D.C. took place as part of the They emphasized on the value of USAID-sponsored programme – Strengthening Demo- strengthening cooperation be- cratic Governance and Accountability Project in Sri Lanka tween the Sri Lanka Parliament (SDGAP). SDGAP is a three-year programme with the and the U.S. Congress to under- Sri Lankan Parliament to strengthen public accountabil- pin the expanding bilateral part- ity systems; improve planning, communication, policy re- nership. The Speaker invited the members of congress to form, and implementation; and increase the participation visit Sri Lanka and see first hand the developments on the of women in politics. The visit to the U.S. Congress allowed ground. the parliamentary delegation to experience firsthand the The members of congress commended the progress workings of the U.S. system. More made by the Sri Lankan government since 2015 in ad- Remarks by Foreign Secretary U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Prasad Kariyawasam At the Admiral Scott Swift Speaks at Official Reception hosted by Galle Dialogue the Commander of the Navy Good morn- on the occasion of the Galle ing distinguished guests, Dialogue 2017 ladies and gentlemen, it This is the 8th successive year in is my distinct pleasure to which the Galle Dialogue Maritime be here with you today. I Conference is being held in Sri Lan- would like to thank our ka, attracting to our Island Nation, hosts, the Sri Lankan Navy, and in particular the Com- personnel from Navies both near mander of the Navy, Admiral Sinniah, for their hospital- and far, and academics and experts ity. The Galle Dialogue is one of the critically important in maritime affairs. venues to discuss key issues among naval and maritime I thank and congratulate Vice Admiral Travis leaders. It is an integral part of the ongoing discourse Sinniah and his extraordinary team in the Sri Lanka that is taking place across the region and globe in fora Navy, for organizing this year’s Conference, and for con- like the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, the Shangri- tinuing this wonderful tradition that has come to stay. La Dialogue, and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium. For many, this has now become an annual event to look The fact that the Galle Dialogue had to be moved to this forward to. larger venue last year is just one indication of its growing I am personally drawn to this Conference just by importance not just in the region but across the globe. its title for two reasons. “Galle” is my hometown. But not I am honored to be among such an august group of just only that. Galle is a city that has played an important maritime leaders. We have representatives here today role in Sri Lanka’s maritime interactions, in turn influ- from six continents and Oceania, indeed all corners of encing the very history of our nation. the globe. More than anything, I think this is a fitting For instance, representation of how much the seas connect us. I look Our first contact with the United States probably took forward to learning from the diversity of ideas and the place when an American Merchant Ship called at the experience present in this room. Galle Harbour somewhere around the same time that As just mentioned, our nations are linked by the sea. the new American Republic adopted its Constitution. For millennia, adventurous men and women have har- nessed the winds and ridden the currents to transport Galle is said to be the port from which King Solomon merchandise, people, and ideas across the great distanc- reportedly received ivory and peacocks. es of the seven seas. Those sea routes, established long ago when seasonal monsoon winds governed the age of Recorded history tells us that Galle was a prominent sail, have empowered the growth and prosperity of na- sea port through which Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Ro- tions around the world. mans, Malays, Indians and the Chinese were all con- That dynamic is still the case today, where 90 per- ducting business with our Island Nation. cent of global trade remains dependent upon sea borne transport. In an increasingly interdependent global In 1411, a stone tablet was erected in Galle in three economy, we share an interest in providing continued languages – Chinese, Tamil, and Persian – to com- security at sea, in order to produce stability, which in memorate the second visit to Sri Lanka by the Chi- turn sets the conditions that allow prosperity the oppor- nese admiral Zheng He. More tunity to continue to grow. More 2 NEWS - SRI LANKA: Embassy of Sri Lanka TOURISM PROMOTION ROAD United States and Sri Lanka SHOW 2017 IN THE UNITED Co-host Pacific Airlift Rally STATES with a Focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

The second session of the and Chameera Peiris, As- Sri Lanka Tourism Promo- sistant Director, Marketing tion Road Show was held at of the Sri Lanka Tourism the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Promotion Bureau. In his The United States and Sri provide support to civilian in Washington DC on Oc- remarks Prof. Keerawella Lanka conducted the Pa- disaster response agencies, tober 3. Thirteen Sri Lankan highlighted the importance cific Airlift Rally, a biennial it is extremely important companies, among them of the US market for Sri exercise, from September that nations cooperate and Jetwing Travels (Pvt.) Ltd. Lanka citing the statisti- 11 to 15, 2017. The Pa- improve joint capabilities. and Aitken Spence Travels , cal evidence of the US out- cific Airlift Rally brought One U.S. Air Force C- and the Sri Lanka Tourism bound market. together participants from 130J Hercules from the Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Displayed at the venue the United States, Sri Lan- 815th Airlift Squadron at participated in the Road were pictures of tourist at- ka, and other Indo-Asia- Keesler Air Force Base, Show organized by the SLT- tractions, illustrating the Pacific nations for an air- Mississippi and one C- PB for the first time in the beauty and rich cultural borne training exercise that 130J from the 327th Air- United States. The Embassy heritage of Sri Lanka. Tour- focused on humanitarian lift Squadron, Little Rock of Sri Lanka in Washington ist brochures were available assistance and disaster re- Air Force Base, Arkansas DC coordinated the organ- for the visitors, and the show lief operations. Partici- joined airlift aircraft from izing of the show. This was highlighted the potential of pants practiced mission Sri Lanka and Australia for the second leg of the road Sri Lanka to become a glob- planning, cargo handling the flight training portion show, which started on Oc- al tourist destination in the and loading, and air-land of the exercise. They prac- tober 2 in New York. world. Following Madhu- and airdrop operations. ticed airlift techniques that The road show attended bani Perera’s comprehensive The Indo-Asia-Pacific re- would be executed during by more than fifteen travel presentation, which covered gion is home to 60 percent a real-world humanitarian companies in Washington all aspects of Sri Lanka tour- of the world’s population in assistance operation. DC was inaugurated by ism, including the potential 36 nations spread across 53 Sri Lanka previously co- Prof. Gamini Keerawella, investment opportunities in percent of the Earth’s sur- hosted the Pacific Airlift Chargé d’Affaires a.i. ofthe tourism sector, the visi- face, and the majority of Rally in August of 2011, the Embassy of Sri Lanka tors showed notable inter- the world’s natural disasters during which participants in Washington D.C. in the est in wedding tourism, Sri occur in this area. Expe- worked on a tropical cy- presence of Madhubani Lanka’s culinary traditions. rience has demonstrated clone scenario. More Perera, Director, Marketing More that in order to effectively Chicago Sun-times: Seven once-in-a-lifetime safaris outside of Africa​ Africa may have a lock on our collective imagination slightly larger than West Virginia, this tropical country is when it comes to safaris, but there are plenty of places one of the planet’s top biodiverse hotspots, with 123 mam- outside of Africa where you can come face-to-face with mal species and hundreds of bird species. It also boasts 26 wildlife in its natural habitat, too-think Canada’s “Kings national parks. of the Arctic,” Brazil’s big cats, the wolves of Romania, and Sri Lanka’s lush rainforests are home to herds of Asian so much more. elephants who like to bathe in its rivers and monkeys that So, if Africa doesn’t figure into your travel plans this linger beside waterfalls, and mountaintop cloud forests year, don’t despair. Here are seven trips that prove you heaving with primates. And then there’s Yala National don’t have to go all that way to have an authentic bucket- Park: home to shaggy, insect-eating sloth bears and one of list safari. [...] the world’s highest population densities of leopards. Spot leopards, seek out blue whales, and watch pri- Even the country’s surrounds are a treat for wildlife mates play in Sri Lanka lovers, who may spot dolphins, sperm whales and the ul- The island nation of Sri Lanka, off the coast of southern timate sea creature — blue whales — in the Indian Ocean. India, teems with stunning natural features and weathered Whatever your animal preference, Wildlife Tours Sri Lan- ruins that have become de facto wildlife playgrounds. Only ka has an itinerary for you. More www.slembassyusa.org slembassyusa @EmbassyofSL 3