Commonwealth Secretary-General to visit Sri Lanka for 58th CPA Conferenc

58th Commonwealth

58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference 

Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma will visit Sri Lanka from 9-13 September 2012 to attend the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Colombo.

The Secretary-General will address the conference on 11 September. During his visit, Mr Sharma will also call on the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and External Affairs Minister, Professor G L Peiris.
Talks are expected to focus on steps being taken by Sri Lanka to implement the report of its Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and possible areas of Commonwealth engagement with Sri Lanka in that regard, and preparations for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November 2013. The Secretary-General will also visit venues proposed for that meeting.

"There is much to do in the lead-up to our Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next year, and the Commonwealth is pleased to work with the Government of Sri Lanka to prepare for this," Mr Sharma said.

"In terms of our potential support to Sri Lanka in implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report, we can offer partnership in capacity-building to advance the Commonwealth goals of development, democracy and respect for diversity," he added.

This trip is the second visit to the South Asian country by the Commonwealth Secretary-General. He previously visited Sri Lanka in 2008 to attend the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting.