'Defence Seminar – 2013' Inaugurates at Galadari Hotel

A total of 66 foreign delegates, in addition to the participation of Sri Lanka-based Diplomats and Defence Attachés, will attend the year’s mammoth ‘Defence Seminar - 2013’ beginning Tuesday (3) morning at Colombo Galadari Hotel at the invitation of the Sri Lanka Army.

Themed on ‘Post-Conflict Sri Lanka: Challenges and Regional Stability’, the three-day conference (Sept 3-5) is to be attended by more than 300 participants. HE the President’s Secretary Mr Lalith Weeratunge, Secretary Defence and Urban Development, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the invitation of Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army, will grace the occasion as distinguished guests.

Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to deliver the keynote address soon after the formal welcome address is done by the Commander of the Army, the host of the ‘Defence Seminar - 2013.’

Deliberations will focus on a wide range of issues in the context of both regional and global scenario, guaranteeing lively and thought-provoking sessions on concerns of national, regional and international importance while enlarging the scope of discourse from post-conflict development and regional stability.

Hon Prof G.L Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, Dr Sarath Amunugama, Senior Minister, Dr Subramaniam Swamy, Member of Parliament and President of the Janatha Party of India, Mr Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor for Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Prof Rohan Gunaratne, Mr Mohan Samaranayake, Chairman, Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, Mr Arun Thambimuttu, Mr Ajith Rohana Colonne, Lieutenant General Mollah Fazle Akbar, Senior Colonel Xu Hui, Prof Madhav Nalapat, Mr Jagdish Shetty, Mr N Sathyamoorthy, Mr Sohail Amin (Retd) Ambassador, Prof Joachim Krause, Dr Clive Vincent Jachink, Senior Col Naguyen Hong, Major General H.C.P Goonetilleke, Major General N.A.J.C Dias, Major General G.V.D.U.A Perera, Rear Admiral N.B.J Rosairo and Air Vice Marshal G.P Bulathsinhala are among the speakers and contributors to the forum on all three days.

Topics such as ‘LLRC the Way Forward’, ‘Role of Armed Forces in Reconciliation’, ‘Nation Building’, ‘The Pearl of Asia; Transforming into a Strategically Important Economic Centre of the World’, ‘Prosperity and Stability as partners; Rise of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the Nation’, ‘National Security’, ‘Maritime Aspects of National Security’, ‘Air Aspects of National Security’, ‘Political and Foreign Relations’, ‘The Development of Sri Lanka and Its Impact on the Stability of the Region’, ‘Regional Perspective on Post-Conflict Sri Lanka; Challenges and Regional Stability’, ‘Sri Lanka’s Post-Conflict Recovery and the Stability of the Regional; a Neighbours Perspective’, ‘Post-Conflict Activity and Regional Stability; Drawing Parallels Between Pakistan and Sri Lanka’, ‘Sri Lanka’s Post-Conflict Success; Implications and Gains in Security for Bangladesh in the Context of Regional Stability’, ‘A Stable Sri Lanka and China’s Rise in Asia; Regional Security Concerns’, ‘Vietnam Perspectives on the Effects of Post-Conflict Sri Lanka on Regional Stability’, ‘Comparison of Africa and Sri Lanka; Post-Conflict Stability and Contribution to Regional Security’, ‘A prosperous and Stable Sri Lanka in the Region; Challenges and Opportunities’ and ‘The Impact of Post-Conflict Sri Lanka on Regional Stability’ are among the topics that would be taken up for discussion during these sessions.