September 2015 NEWS SRI LANKA Embassy of Sri Lanka, Washington DC RANIL WICKREMESINGHE VISIT TO SRI LANKA BY SWORN IN AS U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARIES OF STATE PRIME MINISTER February, this year, we agreed to rebuild our multifaceted bilateral relationship. Several new areas of cooperation were identified during the very successful visit of Secretary Kerry to Colombo in May this year. Our discussions today focused on follow-up on those understandings and on working towards even closer and tangible links. We discussed steps U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for taken by the Government of President South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Maithripala Sirisena to promote recon- Biswal and U.S. Assistant Secretary of ciliation and to strengthen the rule of State for Democracy, Human Rights law as part of our Government’s overall Following the victory of the United National Front for and Labour Tom Malinowski under- objective of ensuring good governance, Good Governance at the general election on August took a visit to Sri Lanka in August. respect for human rights and strength- 17th, the leader of the United National Party Ranil During the visit they called on Presi- ening our economy. Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister of dent Maithirpala Sirisena, Prime Min- Sri Lanka on August 21. ister Ranil Wickremesinghe and also In keeping with the specific pledge in After Mr. Wickremesinghe took oaths as the new met with Minister of Foreign Affairs President Maithripala Sirisena’s mani- Prime Minister, a Memorandum of Understanding Mangala Samaraweera as well as other festo of January 2015, and now that (MoU) was signed between the Sri Lanka Freedom government leaders. we have achieved political stability through one of the most free and fair Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), to The meeting with the Foreign Minister elections held in this country, I out- work together in the next Parliament. on August 25, was followed by remarks lined measures being taken to address to the media by Minister Samaraweera Prime Minister Wickremesinghe who contested from concerns regarding alleged human and Assistant Secretaries Biswal and the Colombo District in the election consolidated his rights violations, including through in- Malinowski: victory by polling a record 500,506 votes. It is the high- dependent domestic mechanisms. est number of votes polled by a candidate in Sri Lanka’s Minister Mangala Samaraweera: We have agreed on prioritizing closer election history. Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen. economic cooperation. The United I have just concluded discussions with Ranil Wickremesinghe has served as Prime Minister States is Sri Lanka’s single largest export Ms. Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary thrice before: first, from May 1993 to August 1994, then market. 23% of our total exports enter of State for South and Central Asia and again from December 2001 to April 2004 and most re- the US market. We want to enhance Mr. Tom Malinowski, Assistant Sec- cently he was appointed as Prime Minister for a third our trade and business relations and retary for Democracy, Human Rights time following the election of President Maithripala encourage more US investors to take and Labour of the US State Depart- Sirisena on January 8. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe advantage of the economic opportuni- ment. I also welcomed Ambassador has been the leader of the United National Party since ties in Sri Lanka. 1994 and a Member of Parliament for the Colombo Atul Keshap who just assumed duties District since 1977. He is also the leader of the United as the United States’ Ambassador to Sri We look forward to regular high level National Front for Good Governance. Lanka. interactions at all levels, reflecting the current trajectory in the US – Sri Lanka We have continued the dialogue that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was educated at Royal relationship. College, Colombo. Later he entered the Faculty of Law at began following the election of Presi- the University of Ceylon (now University of Colombo). dent Sirisena in January and my ap- Later today, Assistant Secretary Biswal After graduation, he completed the law exams at the Sri pointment as Foreign Minister then. will call on President Sirisena and on Lanka Law College and took oaths as an advocate in 1972. During our previous meetings and fol- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesin- lowing to my visit to Washington in ghe. Cont. on Page 05 NEWS - SRI LANKA: The Embassy of Sri Lanka MANGALA SAMARAWEERA DEP. FOREIGN MINISTER APPOINTED TO FOCUS ON FOREIGN MINISTER ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY Mangala Samaraweera was he would “build, with even Dr. Harsha de Silva assumed and efforts in the diplomatic appointed Sri Lanka’s Foreign greater vigour, on the tremen- duties as the Deputy Minister field with the increasingly Minister on Augsut 24th. dous goodwill the interna- of Foreign Affairs on Septem- important area of economic ber 11th. The Deputy Minis- Taking oaths in the presence tional community extended diplomacy. ter was received at the Min- of President Maithripala Siri- to Sri Lanka after the Janu- istry by the Secretary of the He stated that he would fo- sena at the Presidential Sec- ary 8 revolution”, adding that, Ministry and other senior of- cus on the four areas of trade, retariat, he re-affirmed his “this intensification of en- ficials. A religious ceremony investment, growth and busi- commitment to “faithfully gagement and strengthening was held at the Ministry prior ness and noted that it would perform the duties and dis- of relations will be made pos- to his assuming duties. be through enhancing and strengthening these areas charge the functions of the of- sible by the political stabil- Speaking to the media after ity arising from the decisive that Sri Lanka would be able fice of the Minister of Foreign assuming duties, the Deputy to address its challenges in mandate given by the people Minister said that he would Affairs in accordance with the the years ahead and move the Constitution”. in the general election”. immediately focus on eco- nomic diplomacy in his work trade agenda forward. This is the third time Min- He said that he would “place at the Ministry to help move He noted that his immedi- the country forward from ister Samaraweera will hold economic diplomacy at the ate focus would be on trade peace to prosperity. the portfolio, having held centre of Sri Lanka’s foreign agreements, both bilateral it for the first time between affairs - focusing on promot- He stated that Sri Lanka had and multilateral and that he would bring his wealth of November 2005 and January ing trade, tourism and invest- fallen behind by not hav- ment”. Minister Samaraweera ing been able to focus on knowledge, proven experi- 2007, and for the second time ence in economic and finan- also noted that “restructuring the global economic agenda, between January 2015 and while tackling the political cial issues to bear on his work August 2015. the Foreign Ministry and the aspects of foreign policy and and tasks ahead at the Foreign rationalization of Sri Lanka’s that he looked forward to Ministry, so that Sri Lanka After the ceremony, Minis- diplomatic missions abroad join and complement Foreign could move ahead resolutely ter Samaraweera said that was an urgent priority”. Minister Samaraweera’s work and confidently. U.S. CONGRATULATES SRI LANKA ON HOLDING FREE AND FAIR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS The US hailed the holding of free and fair parliamentary elec- The United States applauds the Sri Lankan elections commis- tions on August 17th. A statement read out by the Spokesperson sioner, Sri Lankan civil society, and the candidates themselves for of the US State Department said: The United States commends holding free and fair elections that were widely hailed as among the Sri Lankan people and government for yesterday’s election, the most peaceful in Sri Lanka’s history. The United States looks which demonstrated their enduring commitment to democracy forward to working with President Sirisena, the prime minister, and the rule of law. and the new government. 02 NEWS - SRI LANKA: The Embassy of Sri Lanka U.S. AMBASSADOR TO DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL: SRI LANKA AND MALDIVES PRESENTS CREDENTIALS NO MORE BARRIERS Checkpoints are usually found though on a somewhat reduced at border crossings between two scale. This was the right thing to do, countries, such as USA and Can- because one cannot afford to take ada. This is to ensure that visi- chances with national security im- tors travelling from Country A mediately after a war. to Country B have all the correct However, six years after the war papers and would not pose a secu- when the North and the South rity or other threat. But here in Sri have been completely integrated Lanka, there was a unique situation and the people are free to move as where a “border crossing” in all but they please anywhere in the island name operated for nearly two dec- (a right guaranteed by the Con- Atul Keshap, the new U.S. Ambassador ades at Omanthai near Vavuniya, stitution itself), there is no need to Sri Lanka and Maldives, presented his physically separating the North to maintain a checkpoint, even credentials today to President Maithripala and the South. Worse, it not only in reduced form, that harks back Sirisena in a ceremony in Colombo. The physically distanced but also emo- to the era of division. That could ceremony marks the official beginning of tionally divided the various com- somehow give the impression that Keshap’s tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to munities in the island. the North is a separate part of the Sri Lanka. This military checkpoint came into country. This is the last thing our being as a result of the Liberation country needs as the Government Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is working towards achieving gen- EVENT: ELECTIONS IN dominating most of the North in uine reconciliation among the dif- SRI LANKA & NEW the 1990s.