Esala Weerakoon approved as 14th Secretary-General of SAARC

Esala Weerakoon approved as 14th Secretary-General of SAARC

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) – The Council of Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) recently approved the nomination of former Foreign Secretary and senior career diplomat Mr. Esala Weerakoon, to be the 14th Secretary General of SAARC, with effect from March 1, 2020, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Mr. Weerakoon, presently serves as the Senior Additional Secretary to the President.

The meeting was held in New York last week and Chaired by the Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

Further the meeting was attended by the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani, Foreign Minister of Bhutan Dr. Tandi Dorji, External Affairs Minister of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid, Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Bangladesh State Minister of Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Ariyasinha said  Sri Lanka’s commitment to regional cooperation and engagement with SAARC remains a high priority in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy.

Mr Ariyasinha was quoted in the statement as saying  greater regional cooperation in enhancing connectivity, safety and security was paramount to sustainable growth and economic, social and cultural development in the region.

Foreign Secretary Aryasinha said South Asia has been disproportionately affected by the scourge of terrorism in recent years. He further observed that member countries should strive to address the trans-national threat of terrorism in a collective manner, through the exchange of information between the law enforcement agencies and dialogue, the statement said.

Sri Lanka also reiterated its commitment to the SAARC Agenda for Culture, with a view to promoting people to people contact and regional unity through arts.

The new state of the art complex for the SAARC Cultural Center is under construction in Matara, Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka has so far provided US$ 10.5 Million for the construction.