Turkish Embassy refutes allegations of Gnanasara Thera

The Turkish Embassy in Colombo has refuted allegations made by Ven Galagodaththe Gnansara Thera regarding a Turkish fund, which the Thera alleged was contributing to inciting tensions in the country.

The Embassy while referring to the Thero's remarks during a television programme, said that such allegations were "utterly false and baseless".

Gnanasara Thero, who was recently granted presidential pardon while serving time for contempt of court, had stated during a television programme that a Turkish fund has been set-up to allow USD 40 million to flow into the country.

During the programme, he had also said that this money is used in creating tensions, propagating false ideas and endangering media outlets which are against such false ideologies.

"Turkey has maintained strong ties with Sri Lanka and provided humanitarian and technical assistance on many occasions since 2004. Sending direct funds to beneficiaries was never a method adopted by parties carrying out assistance activities," the statement from the Turkish Embassy read.

Further, the Embassy said that it had also supported local journalists by providing them with equipment to facilitate independent and impartial reporting.

This was in addition to sending journalists for professional training in Turkey while also organising vocational training course for school dropouts, the statement pointed out.

"All these assistance projects are being conducted with total transparency, and with the fullest cooperation from local authorities," the Embassy emphasised.