September 19, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Russia condemns US air raid in Syria - Image Credit- jackmalipan / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Foreign Minister attends Our Ocean Conference 2016
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, has attended the Our Ocean Conference 2016 in Washington DC, at the invitation of US Secretary of State, John Kerry.
Speaking at the conference, the Foreign Minister emphasized Sri Lanka’s commitments to protect its oceans. The Minister also joined a panel discussion with leaders from Micronesia, Mauritius, Panama, Bahamas and Madagascar.
Sri Lanka / US Collaboration Agreement signed
The Sri Lankan Parliament and the House Democracy Partnership of the US House of Representatives signed a Collaboration Agreement to strengthen relations between the two legislatures, in Washington DC.
The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya and Representative Peter J. Roskam, Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership, signed the agreement, which facilitates the exchange of information on the two countries’ legislative systems, the sharing of knowledge, and consultations on effective legislative management.
India and Sri Lanka sign MOU
The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, W. M. M. R. Adikari, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support more than 75,000 people from Hambantota. Under the MOU, equipment and tools worth LKR 300 million will be donated to farming and fishing communities from the region.
The MOU was signed in the presence of the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, Mahinda Amaraweera.
Russia condemns US air raid in Syria
Syria’s ceasefire, which is expected to end this Sunday, has reportedly been violated several times by the US while conducting airstrikes against ISIS. Aid convoys have still not been able to reach the rebel-controlled neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement to the UN Security Council has accused American warplanes of attacking Syrian army positions. Russia, in an emergency UN Security Council session, has said the US took an ‘unconstructive and indistinct’ position.
17th Summit of Non-Aligned Movement concludes
The 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ended on 18 September on the Venezuelan island of Margarita. The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, handed over presidency of the group to the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro .
The topics discussed included the Palestinian situation, Cuba’s accord with the US, UN reform, US airstrikes in Syria, and the political situation in Venezuela. The final document produced expressed the NAM’s support of Maduro.
United Russia wins Russian legislative election
Russia’s dominant political party, United Russia, has won 54.2% of the vote with 90% of the votes counted. The chairman of United Russia is the current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The party is also backed by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
Javier Hurtado Mira, the president of centre-right political organization, the Democrat Youth Community of Europe, stated that the election was calm and transparent. However, numerous complaints of voter fraud were reported. Votes from the annexed region of Crimea were counted for the first time.
Tags: Syria, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, US, Non-Aligned Movement
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