People of South Asia are the Stakeholders of SAARC

(November 19, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The City of Kandy today (19 November 2008) welcomed delegates from the eight Member States of SAARC, the SAARC Secretary-General H.E. Dr Sheel Kant Sharma, officials of the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu and Directors of SAARC Regional Centres to the thirty-fourth Session of the SAARC Programming Committee. This was the first SAARC Meeting of Senior Officials from the Ministries of Foreign and External Affairs of the SAARC Member States since the 15th Summit in Colombo in August 2008.

The inauguration ceremony of the Meeting held at Hotel Earl’s Regency was attended by the Governor of the Central Province Hon. Tikiri Kobekkaduwa, dignitaries from Kandy, Heads of Government Departments, and Professors and Deans of various Faculties of the University of Peradeniya.

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam who is chairing the two-day Meeting on behalf of Sri Lanka welcomed delegates and guests to Kandy. Referring to Kandy, which was the capital of the Kandyan Kingdom and the seat of political power of the last generation of the Kings of Sri Lanka until 1815, still remains one of the principal cultural cities of Sri Lanka, he stated that it is an honour for Sri Lanka to host this Meeting in a city which is not only one of seven sites in Sri Lanka on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, but also one that is enriched by the influence and harmonious blend of two civilizations – that of Sinhala Buddhist culture and Hindu culture of the Nayakkar dynasty of South India. Mr. Kariyawasam said that taking SAARC Meetings to different locations away from familiar modern capital cities of SAARC countries is an effective and also meaningful way of creating greater awareness about SAARC and the cultures, traditions, and histories of one another which is an important aspect in the regional cooperation process that the eight Member States of SAARC have embarked upon. He reiterated that this has been the vision of both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama. Speaking further, he added that the Meeting in Kandy is also a manifestation of Sri Lankan government’s appreciation for the people of Kandy who were in fact willing to commit themselves to host the Fifteenth SAARC Summit.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma, Secretary General of SAARC thanked the Government of Sri Lanka for the excellent arrangements made for the Meeting and kind hospitality. He hailed the beauty of the City of Kandy as having exceeded all previous expectations. Recalling the achievements of the landmark 15th SAARC Summit such as the specific Statement adopted by Heads of State and Government on Food Security, agreement to operationalize the SAARC Food Bank and adoption of the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the Secretary General outlined the progress made in implementing these decisions since the Summit.
The two-day Meeting will deliberate on implementation of decisions taken by the Heads of State and Government of SAARC at the 15th Summit in Colombo, the SAARC Work Plan/Calendar for the coming year, and a range of other issues including measures for prioritization and rationalization of the work of SAARC Technical Committees, Working Groups and Regional Centres and related Inter-Governmental Meetings.

- Sri Lanka Guardian