An international naval gathering in Colombo, including senior representatives of the UN Security Council couldn’t have come at a better time for Sri Lanka, says Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

In an interview with The Island on Sunday (Dec. 12), Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said that their presence at the SLN’s 60th anniversary celebrations had meant international recognition and appreciation of Sri Lanka’s victory over the LTTE.

The Defence Secretary said of the five permanent Security Council members, Russia (Udaloy-class Destroyer Admiral Vinogrado) and China (Missile Destroyer Lanzhou) had sent warships. The US, UK and France, too, had sent senior-level naval delegations, the Defence Secretary said, adding "the country wouldn’t have attracted the ‘big’ five if we had still been at war. In fact, many countries would have been reluctant to send warships had we been bogged down on the northern front."

The Defence Secretary said the world had expressed solidarity with Sri Lanka amidst a treacherous bid to charge the political and military leadership with war crimes over the conduct of the SLA during the last phase of the offensive. Responding to a query, the former Gajaba veteran said that their participation would never have been possible without approval at the highest level of the respective governments.

India sent its Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Warma, though Indian service chiefs never visit the same country twice in one year.

Appreciating the India Navy Chief’s presence, the Defence Secretary said that the attendance of the Pakistani Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir was an honour.

The Defence Secretary said that almost all visiting delegations had appreciated Sri Lanka’s victory over terrorism. Whatever the unsubstantiated criticism directed at the Sri Lankan military, the world couldn’t ignore the country’s success in anti-terrorist war.

The Russian and Chinese warships were joined by PNS Zulfiqar, INS Mysore, BNS Umar Farooq, HMTS Chonburi, IRID Alvand and sail ship INS Tarangini.

Navy headquarters spokesman Captain Athula Senarath said that naval chiefs from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Australia and the Maldivian Coast Guard commander had been present along with high-level delegations from Russia, US, China, UK, France, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and UAE Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said that there couldn’t have been a better example than the Colombo gathering to highlight the need for international cooperation to fight cross-border terrorism.

The Defence Secretary said that on-going naval operations directed at Somali pirates by powerful navies underscored the need for cooperation among UN member states to fight those threaten world stability.