Lankan leaders pay tribute to US Senator John McCain

Ambassador Devinda Subasinghe, former Sri Lanka ambassador to USA released the following statement of condolence on the passing of US senator John McCain, a celebrated war hero who died Saturday after losing a battle to brain cancer.

“Senator McCain's understanding of Sri Lanka and the region was deep. In the 1990s Senator McCain visited Sri Lanka leading an IRI delegation of fellow Senators. During my tenure as Ambassador Senator McCain worked with Senator Joe Biden to support US-Sri Lanka relations in aid, trade and security and actively supported US humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) following the 2004 Asian Tsunami. I was honored to sit with Senator McCain when his wife Cindy received the MLI Humanitarian Service Award for her work with the HALO Trust dedicated to landmine removal. Cindy visited Sri Lanka in 2004. Grateful for all that Senator McCain and Cindy have done to support US-Sri Lanka relations. Heartfelt condolences to Cindy and the family.”

 
Further, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took to his official twitter handle to express his sadness at the passing of Senator McCain with the following message 
“Maithree and I are saddened by the passing of Senator McCain. He was a friend and colleague and a true and reliable friend of Sri Lanka, supporting democracy and development through some challenging times. Our condolences to Cindy and the family.”

In 2004, Lankan Foreign Minister at the time Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar also met Senator John McCain who was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and senior staffers at the time, and discussed bilateral trade and economic opportunities, as well as the initiatives taken by the government at the time to resume peace talks.