Foreign Minister Prof G.L.Peiris while welcoming certain initiatives taken by Taliban in the last few days yesterday said that Sri Lanka is looking forward to the establishment of an all-party administration that will ensure inclusivity.
“We are very happy that the Taliban has taken certain initiatives in the last few days. Among these initiatives are the grant of general amnesty and their clear statement that girls can receive their education at schools and women can continue employment. That is very reassuring.”
Commenting on the evacuation of Sri Lankans in Afghanistan, Prof. Peiris said that the Sri Lankan Government’s primary interest is to ensure their safety and well being.
“We are helping those who wish to come back to the country but there are several Sri Lankans who have indicated that they would like to stay on,” he said.
He said that there are approximately 85 Sri Lankans and some of them wish to leave Afghanistan and come back here we are giving them every assistance together with several other countries that are involved in efforts to remove their nationals from Afghanistan, the Minister said. The Minister added that 57 Sri Lankans have already left the country while 11 Sri Lankans are seeking to exit from Afghanistan. He added that 20 Sri Lankans wish to stay on.
“We are monitoring very closely the developing situation in Afghanistan and especially as a member of SAARC and as a country in the region we are deeply interested in these developments,” he said.
However the Foreign Minister said that the Government will not resort to any precipitate action but keep the situation constantly under review.
“The stability of Afghanistan is of interest to the entire region including Sri Lanka,” he said.
“We will certainly be happy to associate ourselves with any regional initiative to bring security and stability into the lives of Afghanistan people and ensure the stability of the region as a whole,” he said.
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