Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

An EU-Sri Lanka joint commission took place in Colombo on 2 April of this year. The joint commission, which oversees the EU-Sri Lanka co-operation agreement on partnership and development that has been in place for 20 years, deals with a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Ireland and other member states received a request in June from the European Commission to nominate candidates for the positions of long-term and short-term observer for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka. We are very much aware of the ongoing violence and the human rights violations and I assure the Deputy and the House that our mission in New Delhi, which is in close contact with the situation on the ground in Colombo and wider Sri Lanka, is not only keeping a close eye on the situation but is very much involved, along with our EU colleagues, in seeking a solution to a challenging and deeply worrying situation.

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