'Defence Seminar - 2015' Begins with a Packed Crowd of Participants

The inaugural sessions of the Defence Seminar - 2015, themed on 'National Security in the Context of Emerging Global Threats' got to a start Tuesday (1) morning at Colombo Galadari Hotel, amidst a packed audience of scholars, intellectuals, policy makers and military leaders, drawn from more than 35 countries, excluding diplomats based here.

The arrival of the day’s Chief Guest HE Hamid Karzai, Former President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mr B.M.U.D Basnayake, Secretary to Ministry of Defence, accompanied by the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, heralded the ceremonial inauguration of the two-day sessions.

Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army, the host of the annual event welcomed all of them before they were ushered to light the traditional oil lamp, symbolizing the auspicious commencement of the proceedings.

The moderator for the proceedings, Brigadier Aruna Jayasekara, Director Training at Army Headquarters summarized how the series of Defence Seminars took shape after its first one in the year 2011.

The Commander of the Army, in his welcome address, told the gathering that the Seminar’s topic itself reflects upon the reality that we are living in an era where conflicts would occur for various reasons.

“And such conflicts to a very large extent include non-state actors. This forum intends to provide a platform for enhancing knowledge on the entire gamut of the global security environment and thereby confront a number of challenges which may emerge as threats in the future.”

Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva added that during the past five years, the Defence Seminar has evolved into a roundtable of intellectual interaction to identify and discuss geostrategic and security matters in the global, regional and internal contexts as well as to share expertise on ways to formulate a collective strategy to meet such issues.  The first seminar, organized by the Sri Lanka Army in the year 2011, brought together over 160 delegates from 60 nations. This effort by the Sri Lanka Army showcased its ability to organize an international forum on civil-military cooperation.

Here follows the full text of his speech;

“Ladies and gentlemen, AYUBOWAN and good morning to you all! "Ayubowan" is the traditional Sri Lankan greeting, which is extended to friends blessing them a long life.

As the Commander of the Army and the host of the ‘Defence Seminar 2015’, I am honoured by your presence and I welcome you all warmly to this wonderful learning experience. Your presence at this forum is truly inspiring and it speaks of the distance the Defence Seminar has travelled as an international forum for matters of national security and development. The interest of this impressive audience of friends from across oceans signifies the trust they have placed on us and the need to strengthen such relationships among nations.

During the past five years, the Defence Seminar has evolved into a roundtable of intellectual interaction to identify and discuss geostrategic and security matters in the global, regional and internal contexts as well as to share expertise on ways to formulate a collective strategy to meet such issues.  The first seminar, organized by the Sri Lanka Army in the year 2011, brought together over 160 delegates from 60 nations. This effort by the Sri Lanka Army showcased its ability to organize an international forum on civil-military cooperation.

The Defence Seminar 2015 inspired by the thought-provoking theme  ‘National Security in the Context of Emerging Global Threats’ reflects upon the reality that we are living in an era where  conflicts would occur for various reasons and such conflicts to a very large extent include non-state actors. This forum intends to provide a platform for enhancing knowledge on the entire gamut of the global security environment and thereby confront a number of challenges which may emerge as threats in the future.

Ladies and Gentleman, today, different challenges are faced by nations across the globe, including terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and natural calamities.

In this backdrop, the Defence Seminar is designed to set the stage for prominent national and international scholars, diplomats, defence experts, analysts and advisors to engage in sharing knowledge and expertise on pertinent disciplines with a view of devising a collective strategy to overcome issues impinging on national, regional and global security.
   
The Defence Seminar 2015 will proceed through carefully sequenced sessions comprising of presentations, panel discussions and participant-oriented group discussions to enhance the discourse on national security issues and emerging global threats.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, we are privileged by the presence of some of the finest and most eminent local and foreign personalities to talk on these contemporary subjects during the next two days.

I now wish to most respectfully welcome our Chief Guest, His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the former President of Afghanistan. We extend our sincere appreciation to Your Excellency, for your presence here today, despite your busy schedule. I am certain that this forum looks forward to learning from your vast knowledge and experience on contemporary international issues.

It is also my pleasure to warmly welcome Dr Arvind Gupta, Deputy National Security Advisor in India who, at our invitation, is present here today despite his numerous commitments.

I am also honoured to welcome His Excellency General Eid bin Awad Al Shalawi, Royal Land Force Commander of Saudi Arabia to this eminent forum.
     
I am also greatly honoured to have with us here His Excellencies and Ambassadors, Charge d’ Affairs and Diplomats who are stationed in Sri Lanka. Your presence today is truly a strength to us.

Furthermore, I am honoured by the presence of Secretaries and I wish to cordially welcome,

Let me also take this opportunity to welcome the Vice Chancellors, Chief of the Defence Staff, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force.

Further, I am pleased to welcome all distinguished guests, both foreign and local. Your participation, which is of paramount importance to us at this forum, bears testimony to the ever-growing relationships that exist between us and the common interests we pursue.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce the guiding light of the Defence Seminar, Mr. B M U D Basnayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence who would deliver the Introductory Speech to the Defence Seminar 2015. There could not have been anyone else as distinguished as Mr. BMUD Basnayake to elaborate on the topical theme of ‘National Security in the Context of Emerging Global Threats’.
   
Mr. Basnayake is a career administrative officer in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service who assumed office as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence in January 2015. He previously served as the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy (2012 - 2015), Ministry of Resettlement (2011) and the Ministry of Transport (2010 - 2011).

Having joined the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in January 1982, his first appointment was Assistant Government Agent in the district of Ampara, in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.

In his public service career spanning over 33 years, Mr Basnayake has held senior positions in the Ministries of Advanced Technology & National Enterprise Development, Tourism, and Public Management Reforms, and has worked as the Acting Director General of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board as well. He has been a Senior Consultant of the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration and has also rendered services as a Deputy Director in the Treasury for 15 years.

In addition to the above, Mr. Basnayake has represented Sri Lanka at numerous national and international meetings, seminars and conferences, and has also chaired some of the meetings on behalf of the Government. Moreover, he has served inter alia as Chairman of the Ramayana Trail Executive Committee, Member of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Project  World Bank, Trustee Board of Trustees Wild Life Trust, Member of the Coast Conservation Advisory Council, Member of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Member of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Member of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Member of the National Labour Advisory Council, Board of Directors of the National Development Trust Fund, Member of the Committee on Implementation of Decent Work Policy & Plan of Action for Sri Lanka, Member of the Task Force on setting up of the National Enterprise Development Authority, Member of the Council of the Sri Lanka Standard Institution, and as a Member of the Competitiveness Council for the Export Sector of the Export Development Board.

Mr. Basnayake holds a Master’s degree in Development Administration from the Australian National University Australia and a Master of Science in Agriculture Economics, from the University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka. In addition, he has followed a Human Resource and Personnel Management Programme at the University of Pittsburgh and a Microeconomics Management and Policies Programme at the International Monetary Fund in the United States of America.
       
Ladies and gentlemen, with that brief yet laudable profile of Mr. B M U D Basnayake, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, I am particularly pleased to be able to bring together a host of prominent foreign speakers from the region and outside who, I am certain, will bring diverse and interesting perspectives to this Seminar.

In conclusion, I would like to wish all the participants of the Defence Seminar 2015 an enjoyable and productive two days ahead. In particular, I extend my best wishes to the foreign delegates present here, and hope that you will make the maximum use of your time in Sri Lanka.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Mr. B M U D Basnayake to deliver the Introductory Speech to the Defence Seminar 2015.”