Sri Lanka and the Non-Aligned Movement

Sri Lanka is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Principles of Non-Alignment and participation in movement's activities is of high priority in foreign policy of the country.

Its capital of Colombo hosted the 5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement on 16–19 August 1976. The country proposed its bid to host the summit at the 1973 Non-Aligned Standing Committee Conference in Kabul. Following the 1976 Summit Sri Lanka held the chairmanship of the movement for three years until 1979. This role represented the pinnacle of Sri Lankan foreign policy in the period of Cold War.

History

Ahead of the 2nd Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Indonesia and China strongly criticized the idea of the Non-Aligned conference as counterproductive to Bandung which motivated Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sirimavo Bandaranaike to confront those criticisms by stressing indivisibility of the World peace.

On 16–19 August 1976 in Colombo hosted the 5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement with 86 nations participated in the summit with additional 30 observers and guests representing all the continents in the world. The logo of the conference included references to five values of self-determination, economic development, peace and security, solidarity and the denial of colonialism and imperialism. The Government of Sri Lanka declared the public holiday to enable residents in the capital city to get to the street and see and greet foreign guests.

At the time of 6th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana, delegation of Sri Lanka expressed the concern that due to the host's sectarianism his opening speech was deficient in showing appropriate level of statecraft. In 2021, during his participation in 60th Anniversary Additional Commemorative Non-Aligned Meeting in Belgrade, Tharaka Balasuriya reaffirmed his country's continued commitment to principles and goals of the movement.

See also

• India and the Non-Aligned Movement
• Yugoslavia and the Non-Aligned Movement
• Egypt and the Non-Aligned Movement
• Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall

References

1. Non-Aligned Movement
2. 5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
3. Tanzania and the Non-Aligned Movement
4. Foreign relations of Sri Lanka
5. India and the Non-Aligned Movement
6. 7th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
7. 2nd Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
8. Politics of Sri Lanka
9. Sri Lanka Freedom Party
10. 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
11. 10th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
12. Sri Lanka
13. 2022 Sri Lankan protests
14. 6th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
15. Indonesia–Sri Lanka relations
16. 4th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
17. Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
18. 9th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
19. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
20. War crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War