News

Sri Lanka provides immediate assistance to relieve potable water crisis in Maldives

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The Government of Sri Lanka commenced delivery of drinking water to the capital Malé by the evening of 5^th December. Malé is facing a severe shortage of drinking water, following a fire on the previous day at its sole water purification plant which disrupted the water supply to the city, and prompted the authorities to declare a "disaster situation." Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and is home to over 100,000 people, being approximately one third of the total population of the Maldives.

Message from H.E. The President on the occasion of the SAARC Charter Day

The Government and people of Sri Lanka join me in extending warm felicitations to the people of South Asia, as we commemorate the 30^th Anniversary of the SAARC Charter Day on 8^th December.

Our region is characterized by diverse cultures, ethnic groups, religions and languages nurturing over centuries the finest works of philosophy, arts & culture, music, dance, attire and cuisine. Common civilizational links bind us through values of unity and tolerance. SAARC’s strength is in its diversity and harmonious coexistence.

Message from Hon. Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka on the SAARC Charter Day_ 8 December

I am delighted to convey my warm greetings and best wishes on the occasion of the SAARC Charter Day.

Three decades ago, our countries established SAARC with the conviction that regional co-operation among countries of South Asia is mutually beneficial, desirable and necessary for promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the people of our region. Since then, SAARC has witnessed steady progress in a wide range of areas identified for co-operation and we can take some pride on our achievements since 1985. Nevertheless, our regular assessment of SAARC has prompted us to appreciate the need for making the organization more result oriented and people centric. The declaration “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity”, of the 18^th SAARC Summit, in fact reflects this collective desire and provides a road map for our forward movement.

MEDIA STATEMENT

Sri Lanka welcomes the decision of the Council of the European Union to appeal the judgement of the General Court of the European Union of 16 October 2014, which annulled measures taken by the Council to designate the LTTE as a terrorist organization and the freezing of LTTE funds.

The action taken by the Council of the European Union demonstrates commitment for the fight against terrorism at a time when this threat is increasingly posing a significant challenge to global peace and stability, necessitating a collective and vigorous international effort to counter.

Sri Lanka has worked closely with the EU and its Member States in investigations against activities on EU territory by networks of the LTTE, which remains proscribed in the USA, Canada, India, the UK and Sri Lanka and impressed the urgent need for action to be taken to maintain the proscription. It is encouraging that the decision by the Council of the European Union to appeal, suspends the effects of the judgement until the completion of the appeal process, particularly given the continued activities of the LTTE networks in Europe.

Time for SAARC to move towards result-oriented action plans - President Rajapaksa

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized the imperative need for SAARC to move towards implementing result-oriented, actionable plans, which impact directly on the lives of the people.

He said that having evolved in structure, form and content, through almost three decades, SAARC is at a crucial juncture and now there is a need to shift from the present traditional approach and move towards implementing result-oriented, actionable plans, which impact directly on the lives of our peoples.

Addressing the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu today (November 26), he urged South Asian leaders to morally in keeping with the SAARC spirit to join forces against external threats on Member States. “While SAARC practice has been to abstain from involvement in bilateral issues of a political nature, we must resist external manipulations,” he said.

External Sector Performance – September 2014

Press Release

Economic Research Department

07.11.2014

External Sector Performance – September 2014

Overview

External sector sustained its growth momentum with expanding external trade activities in September 2014. Since July 2014, the expenditure on imports continued to rise reflecting the rebound of investment goods imports in particular. As the cumulative earnings on exports outweighed the cumulative expenditure on imports, the trade deficit during the first nine months of 2014 narrowed, while tourist earnings and workers’ remittances continued to be stable sources of inflows improving the current account of the Balance of Payments (BOP). Inflows to the financial account in the form of project loans to the government and inflows to the banking sector continued to strengthen the BOP resulting in a healthy surplus in the overall BOP during the first nine months of 2014, despite some volatility in the government securities and equity markets.

Export Performance

Minister Peiris voices concerns of GOSL over OHCHR Investigation

The Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G.L. Peiris met the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, Mr. Subinay Nandy today and conveyed to him, the Government’s extreme discontent regarding the unprofessional manner in which the investigation on Sri Lanka is being conducted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The Minister’s protest to the UN Resident Coordinator focused on the unacceptable way in which the deadline for submission of evidence to the investigation, 30 October, that had been originally set by the OHCHR had been changed unofficially and re-set once again.

Monetary Policy Review – November 2014

Reflecting the recent downward adjustments to domestic energy prices, headline inflation on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis declined to its lowest level since November 2009 to record 1.6 per cent in October 2014, compared to 3.5 per cent in the previous month. Annual average headline inflation also declined to 3.8 per cent from 4.2 per cent. Core inflation (y-o-y) meanwhile, was at 3.6 per cent in October 2014 compared to 3.7 per cent in the previous month indicating well contained demand pressures on inflation. It is expected that subdued commodity prices in the international market, recent budget proposals such as reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT) to 11 per cent and stable inflation expectations would keep inflation at benign levels in the period ahead.

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“Meet in Sri Lanka” – MICE Tourism Promotion in Dubai

The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and SriLankan Airlines in coordination with the Sri Lanka Consulate General in Dubai organized a Road Show “Meet in Sri Lanka” on Tuesday, 21^st October 2014 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dubai to promote the country as a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination. More than 80 tour operators in UAE attended the promotion event.