Last Friday (Apr. 23) I wrote on the history of our foreign relations and of how, because of changed external factors, we have benefited to the extent that the witch hunt we were being subjected to has had to be called off by our detractors in their own interest. But this does not mean that we can take anything for granted. The citizens of the country should be happy that an experienced, articulate person of the caliber of Professor GL Peiris, without ‘constituency responsibilities’, is now our foreign minister, but he alone cannot deliver on our expectations; he would need solid professional support.

The profession of diplomacy is the conduct of our relations with foreign countries, international organizations, other international institutions, regional organizations, business corporations etc etc. Today besides bilateral diplomacy there is the emergence of multilateral diplomacy which is another specialized field. The expansion, scope and substance of diplomacy has enlarged to such an extent that it is most complex and challenging. The mind boggling advancement of communication technology only makes the task of a diplomat more demanding. Besides international political relations one would need to follow the international economic situation, the monetary and financial developments promote educational and cultural exchanges, scientific and technological cooperation, promote trade, investment and tourism and above all in our situation keep a tab on the activities of the Tamil Diaspora and report on matters relating to national security.

Conventional diplomacy is today a thing of the past and the wide range of activities (the expansion is both qualitative and quantitative) of a state calls for specialization and training. Training is an absolute imperative. There are no free lunches in this business any more. This is something the previous administration under President Rajapaksa and its foreign minister did not realize. They appointed all types of jokers and they all seem to have had a ball at our expense. I do hope that a professional person of the caliber of the minister will not let outsiders interfere in the management of our foreign relations for which he is responsible to the country. In the recent past we also had a large number of spokesmen confusing the world with most of them speaking out of turn. I hope this would end with the new dispensation.

Sending untrained clueless people to promote the interests of this country is a crime against the state and the people of this country. If the exigencies of service require that we recruit temporarily from officers with an abiding interest in international affairs, until permanent cadre are fully trained, the government should advertise and recruit from the AG’s department which has excellent material, from the SLAS and the private sector. Recruitment from the latter sector is particularly important for the promotion of trade, investment and tourism. What has been most often done before is wholly indefensible.

Meanwhile the government must invest in intensive training for our diplomats and bureaucrats for one cannot compartmentalize domestic and foreign interests of any country; the spill over has blurred the distinction. All countries place a premium on training their staff and we may perhaps consider obtaining assistance from foreign countries which conduct intensive training for their diplomats and other bureaucrats.

It was not so long ago that our foreign relations and the foreign ministry itself was in shambles, with the minister and the ministry secretary not being on speaking terms and the officials of the ministry caught in between. I believe that a new era has dawned with the appointment of Prof. Peiris and he is indeed fortunate to have a competent professional as the Secretary of the Ministry.

Professor Peiris has come into office at a propitious time. The power equation is changing with China emerging as a Superpower with an economy that would soon replace the Japanese as the second biggest after that of the US. China’s navy is also the second largest in the world and her air force also of the same proportions. She is today a major player on the world stage. The Indian Ocean has also acquired an importance as never before. Iran too has forged close relations with China and India’s relations with China have also improved tremendously. Russia has always had a strategic interest in the Indian Ocean. The geo-strategic interests of these countries have given our country a new ’status’ because of our geographical location in the Indian Ocean.

Furthermore, the group of countries mentioned above is a formidable counter to the West. There is also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security body with real military dimensions. We entered the SCO as a dialogue partner. The entry of Sri Lanka into the SCO in this capacity confirms its strategic ties and alliance with Russia, China, and Iran. Dialogue partner status in the SCO puts Sri Lanka under the umbrella of China and Russia. Although it is not spelled out in Article 14 of the SCO Charter, a dialogue partner can request protection and defensive aid under such a relationship. We were able to end the LTTE insurrection because China threw its weight behind us and sent us the required arms. Chinese aid to Sri Lanka is very many times more than the aid of countries such as the US. China no doubt has taken into account that the maritime route that passes by Sri Lanka would be vital as an energy lifeline to them.

Iran too has been tremendously helpful not only with military supplies but also with interest free loans and has supplied us with our crude oil requirements. This is not to forget the military assistance we received from Russia and the tremendous help Russia extended, along with China, in the Security Council to counter the hostile west which was determined to save the LTTE.

Why I flag these facts is to make the point that we are not without real friends and we do not need to be at the mercy of any group of countries which seek to destabilize this country to please their domestic constituencies.

Perhaps the only success with regard to the management of our foreign policy was the careful management of our relationship with India. For this, Basil Rajapaksa, Gotabhaya R and Lalith Weeratunge need to be congratulated for it was their efforts during their three visits to Delhi which resulted in the Indian government playing a quiet but effective role to enable us to finish off the war. I have no doubt that the new administration will build on this and ensure India’s support at all times, which is vital importance to our country. Our actions should at no time give India reasons to be concerned about her security. Incidentally China has emerged as India’s biggest trading partner, which is good for the stability of our region.

As for our relations with the ‘West’, they are indeed very important as I have stated before. We do share a political culture with them, we profess to being a democracy where the rule of law obtains, where ‘human rights,’ as spelled out in the Universal Declaration and other HR Conventions and Protocols, are respected. Where necessary, we must bring our domestic law in line with these Conventions. These are fundamental principles and values of the West and if we wish to further relations with western countries, we need to respect these values and show them that we too share these values and that they exist not just in name. At the same time let us not be intimidated by their by gunboat diplomacy; let us get our house into order.

"Let us not berate our critics like street thugs but engage with them in a civilized manner.’’ That was how Lakshman Kadirgamar responded when he faced hostile critics of our country.

Finally there is also another development which is to our advantage - namely the emergence of new regional grouping in South and South East Asia in which we should play an active role besides of course further developing our relations with countries of NAM. Multilateralism is the future and we must be more involved in all regional organizations and should seek Observer status in the East Asia Summit (EAS) and in any future East Asia Community that is most likely to be formed. There has also been another development which signifies a shift of power from the West in particular with the Group of Twenty or the G20 replacing the G8, which would have a major say in the management of the world economy; this group includes India, China, Brazil and South Africa. A new world is emerging and I do hope and wish that our diplomacy would be equal to the new challenge.