ANTALYA, Türkiye

Sri Lanka's State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said on Monday that it is time to change the international political and economic architecture built by the victors after the Second World War.

He attended Türkiye’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) 2024 held at the NEST Congress Center in the Belek Tourism Region, of which Anadolu is the "Global Communication Partner.”

The minister told Anadolu: "Especially in times like these when tensions are high, it is absolutely imperative that world leaders come together, discuss current issues and look for a way forward.

"When diplomacy fails, war begins, and given the current state of the world, it is imperative that forums like this are organized and that world leaders broadly discuss a range of issues, including political issues, economic issues and technology.”

“I think all these areas have been covered, so I found the ADF absolutely intriguing,” he added.

Encouraging Turkish investors

Praising the bilateral relations of his country with Türkiye, which date back to the 11th century, Balasuriya pointed out that Türkiye was one of the first countries to recognize Sri Lanka after it declared its independence.

The official stated that the current economic relations with Ankara are not in line with the deep-rooted political history and should be improved.

Both countries are located in very strategic locations, he noted, mentioning that Sri Lanka has turned an important corner with the reforms made by the current administration after the economic crisis in 2022.

He emphasized that his country has made progress in areas such as logistics, renewable energy, technology, manufacturing and agriculture.

"When it comes to economic diplomacy, I think there are many potential areas where Sri Lanka and Türkiye can meet and negotiate,” he suggested, praising Türkiye’s success in the tourism sector among other European countries.

“Sri Lanka's tourism industry is also growing rapidly this year and the first two months of the year have been great,” he said.

He further called on Turkish investors, especially hoteliers, to invest in his country “with their vast experience.”

The politician recalled that in Sri Lanka, which experienced a currency crisis in 2022, there were long queues for the purchase of some products such as medicine and fuel, and there were problems with food safety.

“Everything has now returned to normal,” he underlined.

Noting that since gaining independence in 1948, some Sri Lankan governments have approached socialism and encouraged subsidies, Balasuriya said that the current government went to cost-based pricing on needs such as fuel, electricity and water, and increased taxes, and state-owned enterprises, which lost about 750 billion rupees (over $9 billion) in 2022, made a profit of 313 billion rupees in 2023.

“Unfortunately, when we are in an economic crisis, the medicine we have to take is bitter,” he said, adding that the South Asian country would not have achieved economic stability if they had not taken these measures and that the international community, especially India, helped them in this process.

'Not a fair world'

The official further touched on Israel's attacks on Gaza, saying: "All successive governments in Sri Lanka have supported the Palestinian cause.”

“There is even a street in Palestine named after one of our former heads of state because of his strong support for the cause of the Palestinian people," he underscored.

Arguing that a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders is needed to achieve lasting peace in the region, Balasuriya said: "We think it is time for a change in the international architecture.”

“We think it is not fair to have an international architecture designed by the victors of the Second World War,” he criticized.

“We do not see this as a fair world,” he decried, noting: “Some countries like India, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria are making tremendous economic progress.”

The official also mentioned: “In terms of veto power at the UN, we have a system where African countries are not represented, countries like India are not represented, Latin American countries are not represented.”

“We think there needs to be a change in the international architecture, both in the political architecture and the financial architecture of the world.”

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continued its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 30,534 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 71,920 injured since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Merve Berker