As you will no doubt be aware, my country, Sri Lanka, has had a very long and constructive relationship with UNHCR: we are partners in the true sense, UNHCR in Sri Lanka has supported the government and complemented our own efforts to assist the citizens of our country who have been displaced – both due to the conflict that has blotted our socio-political landscape for over two decades, and disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck our shores in December 2004, leaving chaos and sheer destruction in its aftermath. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank UNHCR in particular High Commissioner Guterres for his continued support.

Our region continues to suffer from terrorism affecting the very core of our social fabric. While I offer my sympathies to those in our region who have been victims of the recent inhuman terror attacks, I reiterate Sri Lanka’s pledge to standby our common commitment and resolve to combat this scourge individually and collectively to rid our region as a whole of the menace of terrorism.