Sri Lanka has invited Myanmar’s June-appointed Foreign Minister Woona Moong Lwin for a virtual meeting of members of the regional body BIMSTEC, which currently chairs Sri Lanka.
Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar rejected the move on social media, as Colombo’s border expired just a month after Myanmar’s military power was seized in Yangon. Sri Lanka has not commented on the development so far.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Vuna Maung Livin on 2 March, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunwardena said that on 1 April there would be a Ministerial meeting for the multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation of the Bay of Bengal Initiative.
The letter stated, “Your Excellency’s significant participation in the 17th Ministerial Meeting will greatly benefit you, and I look forward to our close engagement during the meeting.”
Critical comment
Hundreds of Facebook users, identified as citizens of Myanmar, left a trail of critical comments on the official page of the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka. He urged the Sri Lankan government to stand with the people of Myanmar, and did not recognize or accept the military junta as a legitimate government.
Hundreds of Myanmar citizens and activists left a trail of critical comments on the official Facebook page of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry. Shame on you, Ministry of External Affairs – Sri Lanka. We, Myanmar people, do not accept the military junta as a government. The world also considers them terrorists who commit crimes against humanity. Please stand with the people of Myanmar.
“He is not our foreign minister. He only represents the junta. Respect the people of Myanmar. Hear the voice of the people of Myanmar, ”said another Facebook user, Nick Aren.
Commenting on the invitation to Colombo, Admiral (Retd) Jayanath Sahkari, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that Sri Lanka has invited all fellow BIMSTEC members – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and the key foreign ministers of Thailand .
“Our invitation to the incumbent Foreign Minister of Myanmar is only within the ambit of BIMSTEC. Until BIMSTEC expels Myanmar, Sri Lanka has no order to oust them, ”he said Hindu on Wednesday.
Seeking to distinguish between inviting Myanmar to Colombo’s BIMSTEC summit and its stance on the junta takeover, Mr Kokje said the government had to decide on its position later. “We are busy fighting Geneva [UN Human Rights Council] Session, so we have kept that decision as it is, ”he said.
close ties
Sri Lanka and Myanmar share religious and cultural ties, as the majority communities in both countries follow Buddhism’s Theravada.
Meanwhile, around 40 Sri Lankan activists demonstrated outside the Myanmar embassy in Colombo on Wednesday, demonstrating solidarity with the protesting citizens of Myanmar.
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