External Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris had bilateral discussions with Mr. Murray McCully, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, at his Ministry on Wednesday.

The Ministers discussed the arrangements being made by Sri Lanka to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November this year, and the preparations for the three accompanying events ̶ the Business Forum, the Youth Forum and the People’s Forum. 

Sri Lanka pledges funds to the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy

(New York)  Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the  United Nations today (5th June) handed over a pledge from the Government of Sri Lanka to contribute US $ 30,000 in support of the operations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Youth, Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi.

A  baby tusker was gifted to the Bellanwila Rajamahavihara by the   Government of Myanmar. External Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris was present at the handing over ceremony at the temple on Tuesday.  Venerable Dr. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Thero, presiding over the ceremony, explained the importance of the tusker for the purpose of conducting the annual perahera and for participation in other formal events in the calendar of the historic temple.  He described the  efforts to find a tusker after the death of the magnificent elephant which belonged to the temple previously.

New Sri Lanka Embassy in Bahrain Opened

In another major step toward fulfilling the vision of His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to forge links with countries in all parts of the globe, Hon. Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, representing Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, and Hon. Ghanim bin Fadhl Al Buainain, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, ceremonially opened the newly established Embassy of Sri Lanka in Manama, Bahrain in the presence of Bahraini dignitaries, including members of the Bahraini Parliament, senior officials of the Bahraini Foreign Ministry, as well as a large number of the vibrant Sri Lankan community residing in the Kingdom.

Sri Lanka has emphasized that regulation, transparency and accountability of funding to NGOs and NPOs is a pre-requisite in the interest of national security and counter-terrorism as recognized by states, and that obligation placed on states to adhere to the regulatory framework in compliance with 40 Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, makes it mandatory to monitor fund transfers of all financial institutions inclusive of NPOs and INGOs (associations) and other financial institutions, in countering financing of terrorism, money laundering or other related trans-national crimes.