Final touches are now underway for conduct of the annual flagship project of the Sri Lanka Army, 'Defence Seminar - 2015' during Sept 1-2 at Colombo Galadari Hotel with the participation of more than 350 participants, including 62 foreign delegates and distinguished statesmen as confirmed by Monday (August 24).
This year’s sessions, themed on 'National Security in the Context of Emerging Global Threats' are segmented into nine sessions under sub themes such as ‘Nature of Threats Affecting the National Security of a Nation’, ‘Emerging World Order’, ‘Terrorism and Challenges to National Security’ and ‘Non-military Threats to National Security’. In addition, a separate expert panel, including professors, security and military experts and administrative officers at foreign and national level would contribute to the Day 2 session. A preparatory session for the participants has also been included in the agenda.
Former President of Afghanistan, HE Hamid Karzai, Mr B.M.U.D Basnayake, Secretary Defence and Lieutenant General Chrishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army are scheduled to deliver the keynote address and introductory remarks respectively during the opening sessions on the first day (Sept 1).
Mr. Christoper Coker, Professor of International Relations at London School of Economics, Dr. Matteo Legrenzi, Associate Professor of International Relations School of International Relations, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, H.E. Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Dr. W. Lawrence S. Prabhakar, Professor of Strategic Studies and International Relations, Department of Political Science, Madras University, India, H.E. Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Shakeel Hussain High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka, Lady Olga Maitland, Former President of the Defence and Security Forum (UK), Dr. Uttam Sinha, Former Indian representative, Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, Prof Rashed Uz Zaman, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, H.E. Yi Xianliang Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka, Maj Gen B A Perera, Director General General Staff, Army Headquarters, Mr. Yasantha Kodagoda, Additional Solicitor General and President's Counsel, Attorney General’s Department, Sri Lanka, Dr. Ajai Sahni, Founding Member & Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management, in New Delhi, Ms. Viviana De Annuntiis Chief Coordinator, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Asia Pacific Region), Air Vice-Marshal D.L.S Dias (Def & Strategic Studies), Rear Admiral D.M.B Weththewa, Major General M.H S B Perera, Commander, Security Force Headquarters (Wanni), Mr. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Former Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), Major General G.V.D.U.A Perera, Commandant, Defence Service Command and Staff College, Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, Former Secretary General of SAARC, Dr. Sinharaja Tammita Delgoda, Director, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS), Mr. Muhammad Abbas Hassan, Lecturer Department of Management Sciences & Department of Earth Sciences, Bahria University, Islamabad, Rear Admiral D.M.B Waththewa (Def & Mgt) and Dr. Chris Nonis, Former High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to UK are among speakers to the sessions.
'Defence Seminar’, now a leading annual event in the Army calendar was initiated in 2011 as an intellectual interactive session to discuss geo-strategic security matters with 160 delegates from 60 nations. The last year's was attended by a gathering of over 350 participants, including 148 from 55 countries, in which deliberations on 'Sri Lanka: Challenges to a Rising Nation' were taken up for review and discussion.
Directorate of Army Training, the driving force of making the event a success in the past few years, has invited more than 50 countries for participation by the first week of July, this year.
For live webcasting of the proceedings, click www.defseminar.lk or www.army.lk. (Ends)
