NewsForeign Minister Mangala Samaraweera today clarified in Parliament the government's position with regards to the 19th SAARC Summit that was to be held in Islamabad on the 9th and 10th of November 2016, which was subsequently postponed. “The General Provisions of the Charter of SAARC prescribes that “decisions at all levels shall be taken on the basis of unanimity”. Therefore, the moment one country says that they are unable to attend a SAARC Summit, a Summit cannot be held. There was, therefore, no question of Sri Lanka pulling out of SAARC, or Sri Lanka saying that we will not attend the Summit as there was no Summit to attend,” the Minister said. The Minister said the country is committed to regional cooperation and stand ready to participate in the 19th SAARC Summit whenever it is being held.

Source: Sunday Times October 07, 2016 14:15 UTC