President invites member states to Colombo Summit

At the closing ceremony of the 22nd Commonwealth Leaders’ Meeting, President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited leaders of member countries to participate in the next Commonwealth Meeting to be held in Colombo 2013.

Addressing members, the President dwelt on Sri Lanka’s natural beauty, its rich bio-diversity, unique history and cultural heritage, a Presidential Media Division release said.

The President observed that Sri Lanka is one of the oldest democratic states in the Asian region. He said that the country has attained 8 percent economic growth after the defeat of one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organizations.

He added that the growth rate in areas where the conflict persisted has exceeded 22 percent.

He also noted that Asia has received the opportunity to host a Commonwealth Leader’s Meeting after 22 years.

He thanked Australian Prime Minister Julia Gilard for organizing the ceremony this year on a grand scale.

Representing Sri Lanka were First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris, Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne, MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia Thisara Samarasinghe and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivad Cabraal.