“Sri Lanka wholeheartedly supports the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking as an important and vital milestone in our efforts on counter terrorism,” said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Fighting terrorism

"Terrorist groups are able to sustain themselves by illegal fundraising, narcotics and people trafficking, money laundering using international networks, and arms and ammunition smuggling including through the sea routes in the Bay of Bengal. I urge you to consider setting up a mechanism to effectively police the seas of the Bay of Bengal, to deny these terrorists mobility and connectivity.

“For over two decades, Sri Lanka has been facing a tremendous challenge to our democratic way of life through the barbaric actions of a terrorist group, the LTTE. There is no doubt that such groups have to be dealt with militarily. At the same time Sri Lanka believes that any underlying causes, exploited by the terrorists in an attempt to seek legitimacy for their operations, should be dealt with politically. I wish to assure this august gathering that we are firmly on the path to a political solution,” President Rajapaksa said.

expertise in poverty alleviation

The President also explained the success of his adminstration on its efforts to eradicate poverty in Sri Lanka. "After three years of active implementation, a majority of the proposals contained in the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ which is my election manifesto, have delivered many benefits to my people. A number of poverty alleviation programmes, both direct and indirect, indeed have proved to be success stories, and have empowered the rural people".

President Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka will continue to share her experiences in the field of poverty alleviation with the other Member States, while contributing whole-heartedly to the collective effort against poverty.

In his speech, the president thanked India for its hospitality.