President leads SAARC team
Rasika Somarathna
*First foreign visit after
re-election
*First overseas assignment for new
External Affairs Minister
President Mahinda Rajapaksa the current Chairman of SAARC will lead
Sri Lanka delegation to the eight-nation 16th SAARC Summit in Thimpu,
Bhutan Wednesday. It would discuss rural prosperity as a key issue.
Special concern will be focussed on bridging the gap between urban and
rural communities in the distribution of economic gains.
President, Indian
PM meeting |
A meeting
between President Rajapaksa and Indian Premier Dr. Manmohan
Singh on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit is also expected to
take place. |
In addition, pooling of resources to draw upon by countries when in
need and environmental issues too would be discussed at length.
In his maiden interaction with the media as the country’s External
Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said that Sri Lanka also expects to
use the Summit as a platform to share the experience of its recent
political and military gains with other regional leaders. It is time for
SAARC to evolve itself as a truly people-centric organization, Prof.
Peiris said yesterday on the eve of his departure to Bhutan to
participate at the 16th Summit of the South Asian Nations. “After 25
years it is a good opportunity for SAARC to take stock of the present
situation. What we have to change, the challenges ahead and how best can
SAARC organize itself to define its priorities to serve the region,” he
added.
The Minister was of the opinion that the people of the region should
be able to look up to SAARC as an organization which is directly
relevant to their well-being.
SAARC should look at moving from a policy formulation stage to an
implementation stage to realise this purpose, he added.
While noting that the region could derive strength from its firm
stand in the face of a global economic crisis, the Minister said the
regional nations should lay more focus on equal distribution of their
economic gains among all sections of the people. Prof. Peiris was of the
opinion that other nations could use the Sri Lankan experience to good
effect when faced with similar issues.
The techniques adopted by Sri Lanka to eliminate terrorism with
limited resources could provide food for thought for other regional
nations affected with similar problems, he said.
In addition, the Government’s political success which was
demonstrated by a near two thirds majority verdict at the recent
elections too would be used to good effect, he added. Sri Lanka would
also use the opportunity to improve relationships and bilateral trade
with their regional neighbours, the Minister added.
This is the first time that Bhutan is hosting the Summit. President
Rajapaksa holds the current Chairmanship of SAARC, which held its 15th
Summit in Colombo in August 2008. SAARC is celebrating its silver
jubilee this year, having held its first Summit in Dhaka in December
1985.
This will also be the first official overseas assignment for the new
External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris. Several senior officials
will also be in the delegation. |