Foreign Minister summons Canadian envoy over PM Trudeau’s genocide claims

Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has condemned and rejected outright the genocide claims made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pertaining to Sri Lanka’s three-decade-long civil war.

Sabry conveyed this when he summoned Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (May 19).

Minister Sabry stated that this ‘politically motivated’ statement was divisive and was issued for domestic political consumption in Canada.

Sri Lanka vehemently rejects this unsubstantiated allegation of ‘genocide’ relating to the country’s almost 3 decades of terrorist conflict perpetuated by the LTTE, Sabry to the Canadian envoy.

He observed that the ‘inaccurate and provocative’ allegations in the statement will lead to polarizing Sri Lankans at this particular juncture when the Government is working towards economic stability, peace and reconciliation for all.

He emphasized that the arbitrary and erroneous use of ‘genocide’ on Sri Lanka is driven by a small section of the politically motivated anti-Sri Lanka elements in the Diaspora with a separatist agenda.

The Sri Lankan government, as a long-standing bilateral partner, has urged the co-operation of the Canadian Government and encourage a mutually supportive relationship between the two countries, whilst constructively engaging the community of Sri Lankan heritage in Canada to work towards realizing our common objectives of inclusive development and sustainable peace.