International Affairs
Sri Lanka is at risk of losing a US $480 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant due to a campaign of misinformation and political differences among the ruling ‘coalition’. The MCC grant represents the largest grant from a single source Sri Lanka has ever received and presents a valuable opportunity to fix some of the country’s constraints to economic growth, Advocata, a Colombo-based think tank said in a press release.
UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer, in a statement issued in view of the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, said Sri Lanka also has a long history of disappearances and this is evidenced by the numerous national commissions of inquiry which have looked into such allegations over many decades, as well as by UN reports.
A top US official yesterday expressed the hope that Sri Lanka will eventually approve the $ 480 million grant-led Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact program, and the American aid agency will also consider extended time for finalisation as a special case. “Our Board meets quarterly and the next meeting is on 18 September. They will talk about Sri Lanka and try to understand why we have has some challenges in getting the program approved by the Cabinet in a timely manner.
America Sri Lankan Photographic Art Society in association with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles will hold a photographic exhibition titled, ‘The Beauty of Sri Lanka’, at the University of California (UCLA), in Los Angeles on September 21.
President Maithripala Sirisena greets the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby when the two met yesterday at the President’s House in Colombo. During the meeting, President Sirisena thanked the Archbishop for taking the time to visit Sri Lanka and discussed steps taken by the Government to foster harmony between all communities, the President’s Media Unit said.
His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the head of the Dawoodi Bohra community arrived in Colombo to conduct a series sermons in the city yesterday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to have talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the Maldives.
එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ ජනාධිපති ධුර අපේක්ෂකයා සම්බන්ධයෙන් මතුව ඇති අර්බුදය කඩිනමින් විසඳා ගන්නා ලෙස ශ්රී ලංකාවේ වෙසෙන තානාපතිවරු සහ මහ කොමසාරිස්වරු අගමැති රනිල් වික්රමසිංහගෙන් ඉල්ලා තිබේ.
As part of an Asian tour undertaken to promote closer cooperation between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Asian countries, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia, Middle East and Oceania of Venezuela, Ruben Dario Molina visited Sri Lanka from 24 to 28 August 2019.
The Chinese version of the Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization application system was launched in Shanghai, breaking the language barrier for Chinese travelers applying for e-visa to visit Sri Lanka, SHINE reported.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana yesterday, to discuss the current situation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The European Union welcomed Sri Lanka’s progress made in protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country, and called for continuation and consolidation of these achievements in the future.
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Samantha K. Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka has taken keen interest in promoting mutual dialogue and collaboration among member states to ensure maritime safety, particularly safe and peaceful navigation in the Indian Ocean, sustainable fishing, reducing ocean pollution among others. The country has enacted the Sustainable Development Act in 2017 and is incorporating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in to its national policies she said. She assured that Sri Lanka will look for more intense collaboration with the Commission in areas of mutual interest.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rt.Rev.Justin Welby, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church, will arrive in Sri Lanka today on a three-day visit as a mark of solidarity with Sri Lanka.
The Australian federal government is refusing to comment on where a Tamil asylum-seeker family have been relocated amid reports they were transported to Christmas Island overnight, The New Daily reported.
Ambassador Saroja Sirisena presented Letters of Credence to Actg. Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cornel Feruta on 23 August, at the Vienna International Centre accrediting her as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the IAEA.
Sri Lanka women entrepreneurship is being promoted through the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Line of Credit Project aided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) .
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