‘Reliability as a global partner is crucial’:

CHOGM, the ideal platform to make new friends

by Manjula Fernando

Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York Dr. Palitha Kohona said the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka will be a good platform for the country to consolidate its current friends and make new friends.

Rejecting the notion that there were hostile Western states, he said every country is a potential friend and the challenge is to develop these friendships.

“We must use the CHOGM to showcase our strengths effectively and explain any shortcomings to gain the confidence of our friends and well-wishers.”

Generating confidence in Sri Lanka’s trustworthiness, and its reliability as a global partner, is crucial and ‘the CHOGM has given the country the opportunity to do exactly this, he said.

Drawing comparisons between the Commonwealth and the UN where the former always worked in a spirit of unity and friendship with all its members, big and small, Dr. Kohona said we are talking about two very different bodies and power structures.

Some of the functions the UN perform are “intrinsically political in nature” and may not necessarily accord with its mandate but result from pressure exerted by powerful global players.

“The UN also plays an enhanced political role these days,” he said and added, “The challenge we face, as a small country is to recognise these nuances and work continuously towards building a positive and comprehensive image of Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka’s top UN representative said the challenge before the country today is to explore and advance commonalities in national interests and not delve into issues that saw discord because every country has its own national agenda and is working towards realising it.