President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s condolence message on the demise of  H.E. Hugo Chavez Frias, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

His Excellency Nicolás Maduros Moros

Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Excellency,

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of His Excellency Hugo Chavez Frias, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela after a prolonged illness. The Government and people of Sri Lanka join me in conveying our deepest condolences to you, members of the bereaved family and the Government and people of Venezuela.  The late President was a true son of Venezuela and as the leader was deeply committed to the welfare and development of his country, and a strong advocate for the developing world.

The late President Chavez was a friend of Sri Lanka and played a significant role in further enhancing our bilateral relations.  I warmly recall my meetings with the late President, and his expressions of friendship and support for my country.

At this difficult hour, our thoughts and prayers are with you, the family of the late President and the people of Venezuela.  The Government and people of Sri Lanka together with me stand in solidarity, as your country mourns the passing away of your great leader.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

The Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities, Wimal Weerawansa and the Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Neomal Perera together with Sri Lanka`s Ambassador to Cuba (with concurrent accreditation to Venezuela), Sarath Dissanayake   represented the President, the Government and people of Sri Lanka at the State Funeral of the late President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela on 8th March 2013 in Caracas.  On arrival at the Caracas Airport on 7th March, they were met by Vice Foreign Minister of Venezuela, David Velasquex  Caraballo. 

STATEMENT

by

Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe M.P.

Minister of Plantation Industries and

Special Envoy of H.E. the President of Sri Lanka

on Human Rights

Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation

at the High Level Segment of

the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

27 February 2013, Geneva

Mr President,

It is an honour and a pleasure to address this august Council today. On behalf of my delegation, let me felicitate you upon your assumption of the Presidency and offer our support to you in the discharge of your office during your tenure. As with your distinguished predecessors, we are confident of working together in ensuring that the objectives of the Council are met.

At the conclusion of Sri Lanka’s universal periodic review (UPR) last November, I informed the Working Group that we would continue our practice of sharing with the Council our ongoing progress towards peace and normality. We are present here today to share that progress. Though faced with skepticism and even hostile criticism from some quarters, Sri Lanka has continued to engage its interlocutors in a spirit of openness, candour and constructive dialogue.

Let me now briefly address some of the highlights of our achievements.

Sri Lanka: the Most Potential Outbound Tourist Destination - Beijing Times

Sri Lanka was awarded the prestigious “Most Potential Outbound Tourist Destination Award” at the Jinhua Travel New Model Awards Ceremony organized by the Beijing Times on 27 February 2013 in Beijing.

The “Jinhua Travel New Model Awards” is the most famous travel branding award in China and the awards ceremony is annually organized by Beijing Times to recognize the best travel agencies, online travel services, airlines and outbound travel destinations. Beijing Times is a prominent Chinese newspaper with a distribution of over 860,000 and 2.5 million readers around China.

SRI LANKA – EU TRADE REINFORCED IN FRANCE: NEW INITIATIVES LAUNCHED

Several new initiatives were launched and trade between Sri Lanka and France boosted on the occasion of the visit of a Trade Delegation from Sri Lanka which was facilitated by the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL), in association with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in France and the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka.

The delegation visited France on 22 nd February 2013 and held several rounds of discussions, which commenced with a Breakfast meeting at the Embassy in Paris.