High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Today, we in South Asia commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and I have the pleasure on this occasion to extend warm greetings and best wishes of the Government and people of Sri Lanka to the Governments and people of South Asia.

As I stated on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Summit in Thimphu in April this year, our hallmark and indeed our strength, is our collective identity, promoted and strengthened by over two decades of regional cooperation within the SAARC framework. This identity has been, and remains to be, a crucial factor in forging closer links among our governments and more importantly, amongst our people. As SAARC commemorates its twenty-fifth year, we must all take pride in the efforts taken since 1985 to build our Association. We now stand on the threshold of our continued onward journey towards the next generation of cooperative efforts.

As we observe the twenty-fifth anniversary of SAARC, we must resolve to work diligently towards the noble goals that we have set for ourselves. We must take bold steps to address the challenges before us which include translating our decisions and agreements into action and finding ways and means of enabling freer movement of people, goods, services and ideas within South Asia to build a more prosperous region for the benefit of our people.

I reaffirm on this occasion, Sri Lanka’s firm and continued commitment to SAARC and its objectives.

Mahinda Rajapaksa
The President of Sri Lanka

Message from Hon. Prime Minister to mark the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the SAARC Charter

It gives me great pleasure to extend greetings and good wishes to the people of South Asia on the occasion of the SAARC Charter Day.

Twenty-five years ago, it was on this day that the Heads of State and Government of South Asia signed the Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation based on the realisation that, in an increasingly inter-dependent world, the objective of peace, economic prosperity and social justice are best achieved by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among Member States. Since then, we have made gradual and careful progress in furthering the ideals enshrined in the Charter. Our journey towards fulfilling the objectives of the Charter will be one that all the Member States of SAARC would have to continue upon with utmost commitment, in the larger interest of the people of our region.

The SAARC Charter Day provides an opportune occasion for all our nations to re-dedicate ourselves to furthering the common goals and objectives that we have set for ourselves.

I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate on this occasion, Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to working towards the promotion of greater regional cooperation through SAARC.

D.M. Jayaratne
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Message from Hon. Minister of External Affairs to mark the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the SAARC Charter

Twenty-five years ago, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation came into being when the leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka placed their signatures to a Charter that embodies the enduring hopes and dreams of the people of South Asia. Since then, our Association has been strengthened with Afghanistan joining the SAARC family at the 14th Summit.

When we reflect on our journey spanning twenty-five years, there is much that we as a Region can hail as our achievements. We have put in place mechanisms and institutions necessary to carry out our work and thereby made progress, to promote conditions for fruitful regional cooperation.

I believe that the partnership nurtured between our nations over the last two-and-a-half decades through the SAARC process has given us the necessary confidence to chart our future course of action with renewed conviction.

Sri Lanka, for its part, will continue to remain committed to the strengthening of the SAARC process and I believe that the twenty-fifth anniversary of our Association is a fitting occasion to rededicate ourselves towards achieving the noble task of uplifting the living standards of the people of our region.

Prof. G.L. Peiris, MP
Minister of External Affairs