President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, the diplomat statesman
President Mahinda Rajapaksa pursues a
pragmatic foreign policy, committed to the
principles of Non-Alignment and maintaining
friendly relations with all nations. He is a
strong supporter of the principles and
objectives of the United Nations in its
determination to promote peace and
development. He is also a seeker of
international cooperation in the fight
against terrorism both in Sri Lanka and
elsewhere.
During his Presidency, he defeated, at
numerous international forums, all attempts
to vilify Sri Lanka and compromise its
struggle to be rid of terrorism. Many
threats from powerful elements in the
international community did not deter the
Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa. All
allegations were met cordially but firmly,
supported by meticulously gathered evidence
to refute them. The refusal to bow before
undue pressures in securing national
interest has won the respect and admiration
of many nations.
Thus, he was able to obtain support from
countries where LTTE operatives and
sympathizers were active to curb such
activities. During the battle against
terror, Sri Lanka was able to gain
international assistance while adopting a
strong non-aligned foreign policy which
respected all nations, embraced friends and
resolutely refused to be cajoled or
arm-twisted into adopting policies that were
detrimental to the national interest and in
disagreement with the policies of Mahinda
Chintana.
As a country that has the policy of
zero-tolerance for terrorism, Sri Lanka’s
international stature received a huge boost
under President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In
recognition of the President’s outstanding
contribution towards fostering world peace,
he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the
Peoples’ Friendship University of the
Russian Federation in February, 2010 at the
50th anniversary celebrations of the
University.
A person with a strong commitment to South
Asian solidarity, President Rajapaksa was
elected Chairman of the eight-member South
Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
at the 15th SAARC Summit held in Colombo in
August 2008, taking over the Chair of SAARC
from India. He relinquished his position at
the 16th Summit to Prime Minister of Bhutan,
Jigmi Thinley.
President Rajapaksa is a leader committed to
the principles and objectives enshrined in
the SAARC Charter and stands for collective
regional efforts to accelerate economic
growth, social progress and cultural
development which would promote the welfare
of the peoples of South Asia and improve
their quality of life, thereby contributing
to peace, stability, amity and progress in
the region. In recognition of his sincerity
for regional progress, he was invited by the
Government of Maldives to mediate in its
political crisis by assisting in initiating
a dialogue to resolve it. A similar request
has been made by Nepal in view of our strong
friendly relations and the recent experience
of Sri Lanka.
President Rajapaksa is currently the
Chairman of the Group of 15 (G 15) which
will hold its 15th Summit in Sri Lanka in
2012. The G-15 accounts for one third of the
global population and comprises some of the
biggest economies of the world. Its
membership comprises 17 developing countries
and economies namely Algeria , Argentina ,
Brazil , Chile , Egypt , India , Indonesia ,
the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jamaica ,
Kenya , Malaysia , Mexico , Nigeria ,
Senegal , Sri Lanka , Venezuela and
Zimbabwe.
He believes that the G 15, with clearly
identified objectives, has the potential to
play a constructive role in promoting
people-centered development initiatives in
global economic and social policy dialogues.
He is recognized as a leader committed to
further strengthening the voice of G 15 on
the international stage, who believes in the
strong unity of the Group complemented by
its rich diversity. He proposes that G 15
work very closely with the G 8 to promote
constructive dialogue on all major aspects
of development.
President Rajapaksa is an outstanding
diplomat who has the ability to balance the
power play in the region that is of
increasing strategic importance. He has
friendly and mutually beneficial relations
with regional powers such as India, Pakistan
and China who supported Sri Lanka in its
fight against terrorism and continues
assistance in its post-conflict rebuilding
process. In his own words, President
Rajapaksa considers India, our closest
neighbour more as a relation than a friend
and builds on the deep-seated ties etched
since the times of Emperor Dharmasoka of
India of third century BC. Similarly,
relations with China, which progressed from
over 2000 years, is now stronger than ever
with Chinese investments funding a majority
of the mega development projects in the
country.
At several forums, Sri Lanka has called for
the speedy resolution of international
political issues which have continued to
fester for a long period. At the 65th UN
General Assembly, President Rajapaksa called
for the situation of the Palestinian people
be resolved without delay in a sustainable
manner and opined that Sri Lanka hopes that
Palestine will soon be a full member of the
UN. He also stated that Sri Lanka 'dis-approves'
and 'condemns' measures such as unilateral
embargoes which impact not on governments
but on the most vulnerable sections of the
community in the countries targeted. In this
respect, President Rajapaksa called for the
empathy of the international community,
towards the aspirations of the Cuban people.
He also urged the need for greater concern
and involvement on the part of the
international community to assist the people
of Africa in their efforts to elevate the
quality of life on their continent.
Sri Lanka supports the peaceful application
of nuclear energy by all states. The
Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa believes
that all countries have the right to benefit
from nuclear energy for peaceful, civilian
purposes while rejecting the development of
nuclear weapons. In this regard, President
Rajapaksa supports the Iranian government in
its efforts to develop nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes. Iran is another partner
in Sri Lanka's development, investing in Sri
Lanka's energy projects. Thus, relations
between the two countries further
strengthened under the Presidency of Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
Thus, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has
demonstrated his strength and determination
in being a leader who never compromises the
interests of the nation, remains unbowed in
the face of international pressures in
securing the national interest and refusing
to hold its people to ransom. Yet, he is a
leader who extends the hand of friendship to
all nations, to work together in achieving
the common aspiration of peace and progress,
and bring their dividends to all communities
irrespective of differences.
Contact Information: Send
mail to