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Sri Lanka - Myanmar Joint Commission:
Condemns terrorism and pledges support
The Second Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation
between Sri Lanka and Myanmar was held in Colombo on August 4 presided
by Foreign Ministers Rohitha Bogollagama and U Nyan Win.
The Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and the Union of Myanmar was
established pursuant to the signing of the Agreement on the
Establishment of a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation which was
signed on February 1, 1996. The first Meeting of the Joint Commission
was held in July 2007 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. Both delegations
acknowledged that the recently concluded visit by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa to Myanmar had paved the way to take the bilateral
relationship to a new dimension.
The Myanmar side acknowledged with thanks the stand taken by the
Government of Sri Lanka on Myanmar during the ASEAN Regional Cooperation
Meeting (ARF) in Phuket, Thailand and recalled with satisfaction the
substantive bilateral discussions held on the sidelines of the ARF.
The Sri Lanka side informed the Myanmar side that despite the
military defeat of LTTE in Sri Lanka, the activities of the LTTE network
overseas, including its front organizations and pro-LTTE groups,
continue to be active and emphasized the need to neutralize the LTTE's
terrorist network overseas.
Both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations
and expressed their views on continuing joint and separate actions to
curb this menace which is a threat to regional peace and security and an
obstacle to regional cooperation. The two sides agreed to cooperate both
bilaterally and at regional and multilateral fora in this regard in
particular at the UN, Shangri-la Dialogue, BIMSTEC and ARF.
The Myanmar side also reaffirmed its Government policy of not
allowing any group or individual to use its territory for hostile acts
against Sri Lanka. Both sides expressed that taking measures against
such activity on its territory would be coordinated through relevant
agencies.
The next Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and Myanmar will be held
in 2011 in Myanmar.
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