In bid to avert a possible hearing on Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting in April this year, External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris held meetings in Bangladesh, which currently holds the Chair of the CMAG.

If Sri Lanka is discussed or investigated at the CMAG, then its membership is likely to be brought into question, similar to the Maldives. This in turn brings the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in November this year into question.

During the Minister’s discussions with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, she had assured that she would attend the CHOGM in Sri Lanka this year. “She is looking forward to attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November this year. She wished the Summit all success, adding that her government would do everything in its power to ensure an entirely positive outcome”, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

“Prof. Peiris briefed her comprehensively on the discussions which the government of Sri Lanka held with Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, during his visit to Colombo this week. He explained to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh the plans being made by Sri Lanka to ensure that the themes and the emphasis of the discussions at the upcoming Summit would yield results which are immediately beneficial to all Member States of the Commonwealth, especially developing nations which comprise the overwhelming majority of the Commonwealth,” the statement said.

Recently the Minister flew to London to meet Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma  to “make a strong case against the inclusion of Sri Lanka in the Agenda for the CMAG”, the statement said. (Dianne Silva)