by Sahan Tennekoon in Daily Morning, Nov 1, 2023
The Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (30 October) has granted approval to the joint statement on the establishment of an international organisation for mediation proposed by the Chinese Government.
Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday (31 October), Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said that the Cabinet has granted approval to the said statement, considering it as a timely proposal which strengthens cooperation between partners of the proposed organisation. Speaking further, he said that the Attorney General’s (AG) Department has also granted clearance to the joint statement and that therefore, the credibility of this statement is once again confirmed.
The Chinese Government had proposed the establishment of an international organisation for mediation to resolve disputes between States and commercial entities. Accordingly, the Chinese Government has discussed with interested countries in this regard and Sri Lanka also participated in several initial discussions. In July 2022, the preliminary joint statement for the establishment of the proposed organisation had been issued and about 10 countries, including China, had endorsed the joint declaration.
Sri Lanka had sought observations from other Government agencies, including the Ministry of Justice and the AG’s Department, regarding the approval of the said joint statement and it has been observed that the signing of the joint statement will not affect any international obligations currently undertaken by Sri Lanka. https://www.themorning.lk/articles/KRsbtA4NKBnHHYsJgIi7
