Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, 10th June, during the consideration of Russia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report, Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka made the following statement:
Sri Lanka welcomes the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation and applauds his remarks here today. We also applaud the role played by the distinguished Ambassador of Russia, His Excellency Valery Loshchinin, in the Human Rights Council, in its institution/building package, in the UPR process and the Durban Review conference.
Mr. President, Sri Lanka recognizes fully well that this discussion on Human Rights - these institutions - none of this would have been possible, if not for the sacrifices made by Russia and the Russian People.
Mr. President, the overwhelming burden of the fight against Nazi fascism fell to Russia. The greatest sacrifices in human terms were those made by the Russian people and the Russian armed forces. If not for the role played by Russia in breaking the backbone of fascism, the rest of the world would have found that our discussion, our discourse and our institutions promoting Human Rights would have been postponed by many decades and a dark age would have fallen on the world.
So we recognize this sterling contribution of Russia. We also recognize the difficulties the Russia has faced: centuries of the Czarism, decades of totalitarianism, two World Wars, a civil war that was forced on Russia and a period of economic collapse in the nineties from which Russia has proudly emerged. We note that the struggle for Human Rights takes place against this historic background. And from the responses of Russia contained in the UPR report and its responses today, Sri Lanka applauds the fact that Russia has found a way of safeguarding Human rights, strengthening the individual, strengthening society, while not weakening either the state or the nation.
Thank you.
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