August 24, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Reading Time: 2 min read
EU ambassador commends the Office of Missing Persons
The outgoing Ambassador for the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, David Daly, has congratulated the government on creating the Office of Missing Persons.
Mr. Daly’s statement stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of the civil war, and commended the government on working ‘in an open and frank manner’ with the EU.
National Defence College delegation visits Sri Lanka
An eighteen member delegation from India’s National Defence College (NDC), has visited Colombo on a study tour.
The delegation, led by Major General Sunil Srivastava paid a courtesy call to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Karunasena Hettiarachchi, and the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, on 22 August.
Sri Lanka interested in investing in Nepal
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Nepal, Ms. W. S. Pereira, has stated that Sri Lanka is interested in investing in infrastructure and education in Nepal. Ambassador Pereira discussed Sri Lanka’s readiness to expand economic, social and cultural ties with Nepal.
These statements were made at a programme hosted by the Nepal Chamber of Commerce in the Ambassador’s honour.
Presidents of Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey meet
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has met with the Iraqi Kurdish regional President, Massoud Barzani, in Ankara on 23 August. The leaders discussed combating the Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish PKK militants, while Turkish and Kurdish forces close in on Mosul, the de facto capital of IS.
The leaders also discussed shutting down schools and institutions linked to Fethullah Gülen, a US based Islamic cleric that Turkey accuses of masterminding the attempted coup in July.
Joint statement issued on North Korea
The foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea have issued a joint statement related to North Korea on 24 August. The three countries urged North Korea to exercise self-restraint and forgo provocative military action, while following Security Council resolutions.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, separately stated that the missile launched by North Korea towards Japan threatened the security of Japan, and that Japan has lodged a protest against North Korea.
UN appoints special investigator for South Sudan
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has appointed retired Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert to lead an independent special investigation into the violence in Juba, South Sudan in July 2016.
The team will investigate attacks on civilians and cases of sexual violence that occurred within, or in, the vicinity of UN Protection of Civilians sites. A final report will be presented to the Secretary-General within one month, and be made public.
Tags: India, Sri Lanka, North Korea, China, UN, EU, Japan, South Korea, UN Secretary- General, Turkey, Iraq, Nepal, South Sudan