Foreign Secretary calls for early decision on inclusion of Sri Lanka into ASEAN

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha yesterday (Aug 8) called for a quick decision on including Sri Lanka as dialogue partner of ASEAN, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

He had made these remarks while addressing the ASEAN Day commemoration event at the Indonesian Embassy in Colombo.

At present, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are members of the South-East Asian body.

During his address, the Foreign Secretary had observed that including Sri Lanka as a dialogue partner would facilitate in continuing the relationship between the island nation and ASEAN member countries.

Mr. Aryasinghe had pointed out that the recent trip by the Foreign Minister to the ASEAN regional forum in Thailand and the President’s ongoing visit to Cambodia were examples of Sri Lanka’s relationship with ASEAN countries.

He also noted that Sri Lanka has been engaged with ASEAN even before receiving independence by several means including Buddhism, maritime connections, economic activity, and social relationships.

At present, Sri Lanka is among the six members to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which provides a platform for discussions on security related matters in the Asia Pacific Region.

Sri Lanka had submitted a dossier to ASEAN for Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in March this year, in a bid to enter the regional body as a dialogue partner.