Three heavies endorse Lanka – Russia, China, Pakistan

Russia, China and Pakistan made positive inputs at the United Nations Human Rights Council Session on Sri Lanka. The delegations of these countries said Sri Lanka has made progress and Colombo has shown openness and readiness to engage with the Council.

We excerpt parts of statements by the delegations of these countries.

Russia: Sri Lanka’s second UPR cycle has “once again” confirmed Colombo’s “openness and readiness” to engage in a constructive dialogue on an equal footing on the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

The representative of the Russian Federation at the UNHRC stated that Sri Lanka has agreed with a majority of the recommendations made during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and that the recommendations accepted are “truly constructive and non-politicised” in nature.

“We thank the delegation for its detailed arguments explaining why each of the non-accepted recommendations is not being accepted and we are satisfied to note that some of these recommendations may be looked at by the authorities of the country with a view to subsequent implementation following detailed study,” he said.

“In addition we much appreciate the government’s list of voluntary commitments on many aspects of Human Rights,” the representative said, delivering a statement at the adoption of the UPR Report on Sri Lanka.

China: The International Community must respect the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and provide assistance to rebuild the country. Speaking at the 22nd session of the UNHRC during the debate on the UPR of Sri Lanka, the representative of China said the international community should avoid external interference into the internal matters of Sri Lanka.

Pakistan: The progress made by the Sri Lankan government after the end of the conflict far outweighed the challenges the country face currently. The Pakistani representative said the international community should do the due role in commending Sri Lanka’s progress. “We are encouraged greatly by the fact that Sri Lanka has made 19 voluntary commitments regarding the National Action Plan to implement the LLRC recommendations,” the Pakistan delegation said.

The Pakistan delegations said these commitments include the recognition of the rights of women and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-combatants. “These show serious signs of commitment by the Sri Lankan government.”