Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

(asked on 24th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Sri Lanka.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 1st July 2020

Sri Lanka is an important partner for the UK on a wide range of issues and is a fellow member of the Commonwealth. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes regular assessments of the political situation in Sri Lanka, including through the British High Commission in Colombo. We are monitoring political developments in Sri Lanka very closely. Parliamentary elections, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are due to take place on 5 August. We have noted with concern the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in Sri Lanka following the outbreak of COVID-19, and some concerning developments in the human rights situation.

The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, recently raised these concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 24 June. We continue to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka on a broad range of issues. The UK is also a member of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.

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