Today, we in South Asia commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and I have the pleasure on this occasion to extend warm greetings and best wishes of the Government and people of Sri Lanka to the Governments and people of South Asia.

As I stated on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Summit in Thimphu in April this year, our hallmark and indeed our strength, is our collective identity, promoted and strengthened by over two decades of regional cooperation within the SAARC framework. This identity has been, and remains to be, a crucial factor in forging closer links among our governments and more importantly, amongst our people. As SAARC commemorates its twenty-fifth year, we must all take pride in the efforts taken since 1985 to build our Association. We now stand on the threshold of our continued onward journey towards the next generation of cooperative efforts. 

As we observe the twenty-fifth anniversary of SAARC, we must resolve to work diligently towards the noble goals that we have set for ourselves. We must take bold steps to address the challenges before us which include translating our decisions and agreements into action and finding ways and means of enabling freer movement of people, goods, services and ideas within South Asia to build a more prosperous region for the benefit of our people.

I reaffirm on this occasion, Sri Lanka’s firm and continued commitment to SAARC and its objectives. 

Mahinda Rajapaksa

The President of Sri Lanka