Ambassador Aryasinha presents credentials in Geneva

Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha presented credentials accrediting him as Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, to ambassador Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General, United Nations Office in Geneva on July 19, 2012.

Ravinath Aryasinha presenting credentials accrediting him as Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva to the Director General, United Nations Office in Geneva ambassador Kassym-Jomart Tokyev.

Welcoming Aryasinha, Tokayey said that Sri Lanka has a long standing relationship with the UN and had over the years, played an important role engaging with the UN many institutions and mechanisms.

He said that with more than 22 international organisations and specialised agencies and over 250 NGOs which work with the UN in Geneva, the post is challenging and has a broad mandate.

Aryasinha, while affirming Sri Lanka's deep commitment to the UN multilateral system, expressed his firm intention to undertake a multi-faceted dialogue with the UN and its mechanisms in Geneva, including in fields such as disarmament and intellectual property where Sri Lanka has played a prominent role, as well as in the humanitarian affairs arena where Sri Lanka's experience could provide useful insights.

As Sri Lanka was committed to respectful engagement with the UN system, reciprocally there was also need on the part of all of Sri Lanka's interlocutors to appreciate the difficult tasks that had been achieved by the government over the past three years since the defeating of LTTE terrorism.

He said that the UN system and member states, including the Human Rights Council must follow due process and be guided by objective criteria in assessing developments in Sri Lanka and not allow rump elements of the LTTE based overseas, some Tamil diaspora groups and others with vested interests to 'hijack' multilateral processes to serve their narrow agendas. Immediately prior to taking up his new assignment, Aryasinha was Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission with ambassador rank in the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington D.C. and in the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi. He has served as Spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry from 1995 to 2000 and in 2007/2008.

He also served as National Information Officer in the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo.