September 13, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
President Sirisena travels to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Image credit - mshch1 / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka to be represented at UN General Assembly and NAM Summit
President Sirisena has departed for New York to attend the 71st General Assembly of the United Nations, which begins on 13 September. The President will deliver a speech to the General Assembly on 21 September.
The Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training, Mahinda Samarasinghe, will attend the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Caracas, Venezuela from 13-18 September, as a representative of President Sirisena.
Sri Lankan and Maldivian Health Ministers meet
The Sri Lankan Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Rajitha Senaratne, has met with his Maldivian counterpart, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, who was in the country to attend the 69th session of the World Health Organisation, South-East Asia Regional Office Conference.
The two ministers discussed the possibility of accommodating Maldivian medical students in Sri Lankan universities, providing emergency drugs to the Maldives, and providing knowledge to establish blood-transfusion centres in the Maldives.
Tasmanian Premier visits Sri Lanka
The Premier of Tasmania, Will Hodgman, recently visited Sri Lanka on an official trip. During his visit, Premier Hodgman called on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, and discussed opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy and international education.
Premier Hodgman expressed hopes of building commercial links between the two islands, at a business growth forum organised by the Sri Lanka-Australia-New Zealand Business Council.
UN condemns North Korean nuclear test
The UN Security Council has deemed North Korea’s nuclear tests a ‘clear threat to international peace and security’, following the largest ever North Korean nuclear test, conducted on 9 September.
The US, Russia, China, France, South Korea, and Japan have condemned the test. The Presidential Office of South Korea stated that the US will extend its nuclear umbrella to South Korea and protect the country using all action under the mutual defence treaty.
Seven day ceasefire to begin in Syria
The ceasefire in Syria brokered by the US and Russia on 9 September came into effect on 12 September, and is expected to last one week. If the ceasefire holds, the US and Russia willconduct joint strike missions against agreed terrorist targets, in pre-planned zones.
The ceasefire deal does not include ISIS or Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front). Several rebel groups, such as the Free Syrian Army, questioned the truce but have agreed to respect it.
Indian PM to hold talks with leaders of Afghanistan, Nepal and Russia
The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, is expected to visit India from 14-15 September, and the Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is expected to visit from 15-18 September.
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is also scheuled to visit India next month. The details of President Putin’s visit will be decided at the 22nd Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission. India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, and Russia’s Deputy Chairman, Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, will respectively head the Indian and Russian delegations to the 22nd Session.
Tags: Syria, India, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Australia, Afghanistan, Russia, President Sirisena, Maldives, Nepal, UN General Assembly, Non-Aligned Movement
24 Horton Place
Colombo 7
Sri Lanka
A think tank engaging in independent research of Sri Lanka’s international relations and strategic interests, to provide insights and recommendations that advance justice, peace, prosperity, and sustainability.
