President calls on world leaders to join hands to eradicate terrorism and religious extremism

President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the international Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing 

on Wednesday 

President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the international Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) in Beijing on Wednesday said that all countries should cooperate with each other to wipe out international terrorism and religious extremism.

The President proposed that the voice of the group of Asian civilisations and the unity of the people as a friendly alliance under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jingping should be an asset to defeat international terrorism and religious extremist terrorism.

The first session of the international Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) was held on Wednesday at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

The conference aimed to discuss the Asian civilisations in the interest of safeguarding mutual trust and respect among the people of the world for the sake of humanity.

Foreign guests including Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, spoke at the opening ceremony respectively.

Speaking further, President Sirisena said a civilisation could not be supressed by another civilisation while the civilisation and culture cannot be taken down by any law, amendment, or an international order.

The President noted that the Sri Lankan civilisation was built within a foundation which has a historic identity that dates back to 2,600 years of the Buddhist civilisation while the ethnic groups belonging to Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay, and Burger are residing and they follow Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Islam religions.

The President expressed the importance of holding hands together by all the nations as one in order not allow any threat to be faced by any country, or ethnic group or any civilisation. Sri Lanka, as a country that is free and peaceful, is faced with challenges by an unseen forces that impact Sri Lankan civilisation and culture, he said.

“My country lives in freedom and peace, without posing any threat to any nation, culture or civilisation. However, on 21 April, an extremist terrorist bomb attack killed a large number of people and we are still in fear and horror and especially in uncertainty over this unexpected situation,” the President said.

“I firmly believe when an unknown force not visible to us poses a challenge to our civilisation or culture, we should join hands to meet this challenge,” he said.

“I see the imperative need to defeat the terrorist groups and religion extremism and all the nations live in friendship and peace.”

President Sirisena called for an international program to meet the challenges faced by the unique civilisations and cultural values of these countries.

“I believe that it is important to work cooperatively among the nations while facing the terrorism which has been sprung by international terrorism, and religious extremism, in order to live in a peaceful and democratic society, while protecting the identity and dignity of peaceful countries,” he added.

The President expressed appreciation over the conference organised by China, a country with a great civilisation and thanked President of China Xi Jingping for giving an opportunity to participate in this important conference.

More than 2,000 delegates and leaders of 47 countries attended the summit. The conference will be held in Beijing until 22 April.