COLOMBO, October 2019: Senior Sri Lankan career diplomat Esala Weerakoon has been appointed as the next Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement said the Council of Ministers of SAARC at an informal meeting held on the sidelines of the 74th session of United Nations General Assembly in New York “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 1 March 2020″. Weerakoon, presently serves as the Senior Additional Secretary to the President.
The meeting was Chaired by the Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and 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 Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ravinatha Aryasinha.Addressing the meeting Aryasinha welcomed the approval of the next SAARC Secretary General and said Sri Lanka looks forward to contributing toward the further strengthening of SAARC in a positive spirit of engagement.
The SAARC Ministers of Foreign Affairs reviewed the progress made in the past year and emphasised the importance of regional cooperation for enhanced trade, investment, connectivity, tourism, culture, security, peace and stability.
Sri Lanka also reiterated its commitment to the SAARC Agenda for Culture, with a view to promoting people-to-people contacts 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 Sri Lankan government has so far provided US$ 10.5 million for its construction. The SAARC Cultural Centre organises numerous participatory and non-participatory activities with the Member States, aimed at promoting and protecting the rich cultural heritage of South Asia strengthening the ties among the member states.
