Just days after Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs ministry called for a ceasefire as violence escalated in Israel and Palestine, Ranil Wickremesinghe came out and condemned the Hamas assault.
Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry had originally not placed blame on either party but called for an “immediate halt to violence” and reaffirmed its support for a "two-state solution".
In a new statement, Wickremesinghe however “condemned the recent Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the loss of numerous civilian lives”.
According to a press release from the presidential secretariat, “he stressed that despite past criticisms of Israel’s actions, such attacks could not be justified”.
Wickremesinghe went on to claim that the violence may go on to impact the Sri Lankan economy, stating that “the ongoing conflict would likely lead to a prolonged period of high fuel prices, adversely affecting developing economies, including Sri Lanka”.
He did however note that he was “reaffirming Sri Lanka’s longstanding support for the two-state concept of Israel and Palestine”.
Read the full text of the statement here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
