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Foreign Affairs will not be outsourced like the previous regime did: MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will no longer hire private lobbying groups to improve the country’s image abroad and lobby support in other nations, but instead entrust the task to officials in Sri Lanka’s Missions abroad, said Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera.
The move comes amidst revelations this week in Parliament that the previous government paid millions of rupees to lobbying groups in the United States to boost the country’s image, as well as lobby US Congress members to support the country.
“We have officials in our Embassies/High Commissions abroad, who are capable of representing the country well,” the Deputy Minister told the Sunday Times.
It was revealed in Parliament this week that the Ministry of External Affairs (as it was known during the previous regime) had paid Rs 95.4 million between 2010 and 2012 to Patton Boggs Company, a US-based company of lawyers, to make allies in the Congress for Sri Lanka. The money had been paid through the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington. Payments of Rs 35.6 million, Rs 46.9 million and Rs 12.9 million had been made in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. The company was contracted by the previous Government to prevent any bills or resolutions being brought against Sri Lanka in the US Congress, help get Sri Lanka off the Trafficking in Persons Watch list, etc.
It was also revealed in Parliament that the then Government paid Rs 5,172,750 to a company named Cranford Johnson Robinson Wood in 2010, to do “media work for Sri Lanka.”
According to Cranford Johnson Robinson Wood, they launched an image building campaign for Sri Lanka with the US press, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament on Friday.
He said, in this instance, no agreements have been signed with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington, but they were contracted after a proposal was sent by Cranford Johnson Robinson Wood to the Mission and an advance payment made based on the proposal.
The questions were raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.