Statement by Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the General Debate of the 31^st Special Session of the General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

03 December 2020

Mr President,

Mr Secretary-General,

Your Majesties,

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I thank H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the General Assembly for convening the Special Session in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as proposed by the Non Aligned Movement and Azerbaijan, Chair of the NAM.   

I convey my deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the greatest global health crisis to face humanity, and express appreciation to the frontline healthcare and essential services workers in Sri Lanka and worldwide, for their dedication and commitment.

Under the leadership of His Excellency President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka has been managing the spread of COVID-19 through the strict adherence to the Universal Health Precautions and with a whole-of-government approach, targeting zero transmission.

A National Operation Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak was established to carry out operations to combat the pandemic. A digital platform - ‘Stay Safe’ – facilitates public engagement for contact tracing. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Prevention effectively coordinates these measures. The free Universal Health Care facility that Sri Lanka provides to its people has also lessened the spread of the virus.

Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage together with Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui, chaired the 11^th session of the diplomatic consultations between Sri Lanka and China virtually on 23 November 2020.

44^th Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77

Hon. Chairman

Excellencies

Distinguished delegates

As a founding member of the Group of 77, Sri Lanka is pleased to participate at the 44^th  Annual Meeting of Foreign Ministers. The theme of this year’s session is timely given the unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The strong mandate given by the people of Sri Lanka to His Excellency the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, at the presidential election in November last year and at the general election earlier this year, for his Vision for Prosperity & Splendour gives us confidence to commit ourselves further to the goals of the G-77. For over half a century the G77 has provided a platform for developing countries to articulate and promote their collective interests and negotiating capacity, on all the major international economic issues within the UN system and to promote South-South cooperation for development. It has a significant role to play in the current context, driven by the spirit of solidarity of the Global South.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and visiting US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held discussions this morning (28 October 2020) at the Foreign Ministry, covering several areas of the multifaceted relationship which exists between Sri Lanka and the United States. The discussions followed those with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier in the morning.

During the delegation level official talks, the two sides exchanged views on the economic, political, defence & security spheres which straddle the relationship and agreed to take measures to further invigorate the existing cooperation.  It was agreed to convene the annual Partnership Dialogue at an early, mutually convenient time frame, taking into account the existing COVID-19 pandemic situation. Furthermore, steps are to be taken to progress on several economic and development related initiatives, in addition to invigorating the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the US GSP facility.  They agreed to work in partnership to address the existing and post COVID-19 economic challenges. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.