DM Monitoring
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has called upon the United Nations to place due emphasis on non-interference in domestic affairs of other states in his address to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, a statement from the president’s office said here Tuesday.
In a pre-recorded statement at the high-level meeting to commemorate the anniversary of the United Nations, Rajapaksa said he firmly believes that partnerships fostered between member states and the UN continue at their best when no country is held hostage to the interests of a few.
“At a time when the world is facing a common and an unrivalled threat, the ‘United Nations We Need’, I am certain, will place due emphasis on the sovereign equality of States, respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in their domestic affairs,” the president said.
Rajapaksa further said while the world is plagued by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, this has jeopardized economies, health systems and societies, just within a few months. He further explained Sri Lanka is able to successfully face the challenge of COVID-19 through a proactive intervention. “We established the National Action Committee for Preventing COVID-19 even before the first patient was detected in Sri Lanka. Our approach synchronized the military, health as well as civilian authorities of national and regional levels,” he said.
He further said Sri Lanka’s recovery rate stands at over 90 percent, well above the global recovery rate and the country’s success story was due to its strong “tracing and quarantine” process.
The Sri Lankan president further said that as the island country celebrates its 65 years of UN membership this year, Sri Lanka is pleased to have contributed significantly to the United Nation’s agenda, ranging from peacekeeping operations to programs of its specialized agencies.
