Türkiye says tensions between great power rivalries affected Sri Lanka
Türkiye says tensions between great power rivalries affected developing countries such as Sri Lanka.
The Ambassador of Türkiye to Sri Lanka, Demet Şekercioğlu, said that Türkiye is deeply saddened seeing the current hardships faced by the friendly people of Sri Lanka.
She said this in a message to mark the 99th Anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, which falls today.
Türkiye and Sri Lanka have shared extensive bilateral relations over many decades with diplomatic contacts going back to 1864. This relationship is based on the shared cultures and values of the two countries.
“The recent visit of our Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Sri Lanka in January 2022 escalated the bilateral relations between the two countries to greater heights. During the visit, Minister Çavuşoğlu underlined that Türkiye aimed to deepen the existing relations and explore new avenues of cooperation in various fields which will serve the mutual interests of both our nations,” Ambassador Demet Şekercioğlu said.
She said the global impact of the Covid-19 aftermath and tensions between great power rivalries have particularly affected developing countries such as Sri Lanka where the economy became fragile due to dependence to external income sources.
“Needless to say that Sri Lanka has undergone many unprecedented developments in the recent past, starting from the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019 to the current social & economic hardships,” she added.
Şekercioğlu said that Türkiye is deeply saddened seeing the current hardships faced by the friendly people of Sri Lanka, adding that a crisis of this magnitude requires a joint and coordinated approach both locally and globally.
“Hence, Sri Lanka requires her friends more than ever before. Türkiye continues to support Sri Lanka during these trying times. In line with the agreements signed between both our Governments, urgently needed medical donations including cold chain medicines, medical consumables and ventilator devices arrived to Sri Lanka in September 2022,” she added.
Şekercioğlu said that as a true friend and a partner sharing similar values to this beautiful island nation, Türkiye will continue to do its part and remains resolute to collaborate with her Sri Lankan counterparts in all potential areas of cooperation.
On the National Day of Türkiye, Şekercioğlu wished Sri Lanka a quick economic recovery and a prosperous future.
She said she was confident that Türkiye and Sri Lanka will further deepen their multi-dimensional relationship in the coming years by drawing upon the mutual strength and support. (Colombo Gazette)
