Yearly Archives: 2011

President discussions with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev
18th June 2011

President Mahinda Rajapaksa also held fruitful discussions with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the visit to St. Petersburg Economic Forum. The parties have discussed the commencement of air services between Sri Lanka and the need to strengthen bilateral relations in the spheres of trade and economic cooperation. During the discussions President Nazarbayev has agreed to facilitate Kazakhstani investments in Sri Lanka. He has also commended on the post conflict development progress in Sri Lanka.
Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga were present during the discussion.

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President visits and paid flower tribute at Piskariovskoye Memorial Complex
18th June 2011

President Rajapaksa also visits and paid flower tribute at St. Petersburg Piskoryevskoye Memorial Complex, where over thousands of persons lost their lives during the second World War.
Piskoreyevskoe Memorial Complex
Leningrad siege is the most tragic page in the city’s history and in the history of the World War II. In the history of wars no city of the world gave so may lives for the Victory as Leningrad did.
More than million people (almost the same number of warriors, defenders died on the battle fields and died in the city hospitals) perished during the siege in Leningrad. Tens of thousands of people died during the evacuation. There are 186 common graves in the Piskaryovskoye cemetery, in which 420 thousands of inhabitants of the city, who died from hunger, bombing and shelling 70 thousands of soldiers, defenders of Leningrad are buried. May 9, 1960 on the fifteenth anniversary of the Victory Day, Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery was solemnly open. Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery is world famous, national monument of the history of the World War II, museum of the feat of Leningrad, school for teaching patriotism and love towards motherland. For the citizens of Russia, people living on the planet, who value piece and calmness on the earth, the memorial became the symbol of firmness, courage, selfless love to the motherland, surprising strength of spirit of the people – victors in the most murderous war in the world.
Leningrad siege is the most tragic page in the city’s history and in the history of the World War II. In the history of wars no city of the world gave so may lives for the Victory as Leningrad did. Taking into account political, economical and strategic factors, military and political leaders of the Nazi Germany have chosen Leningrad as the first object for attack and were going to wipe the city off the face of the earth. Capturing Leningrad was an “integral task” of the “Barbarossa” plan. Big number of military forces of Nazi Germany and Finnish army were involved in the battles on the western front.
Already on September 8, 1941 the city was completely blocked from the land. September 8 was the first day of the siege. The secret document # C-124 dated September 29, 1941, which was prepared in Hitler’s head office, stated the following: “2. Fuehrer has decided to wipe the city off the face of earth. 4. If due to the situation in the city they would decide to yield, these requests will be rejected, because the problems of preserving and feeding population cannot and should be solved by us”.
Striving to implement this plan, leaders of Hitler’s army made severe bombing and artillery shooting (during the siege about 150 thousands shells and over 107 thousands incendiary and high-explosive bombs). As the result -more than 5 million square meters were destroyed, actually every third house was in ruins. The most awful ordeal of the first autumn and winter of the siege was hunger. People died in the streets, factories, apartments…. the whole families died. The food rations on food coupons were decreased. Starting from November 20, 1941 as the result of bread ration decrease (other products were not available) during more than a month time clerks, dependants, children received 125 grams of bread, workers – 250 grams, 500 gram -soldiers on the front line.
Already in January 1942 all Leningrad cemeteries were heaped up with dead bodies. According to the decision of city authorities they have started mass burial at the vacant plot of land in the northern outskirts of the city close to railway station “Piskaryovka”. Burials were made daily, number of people was from three to ten thousands. The burials were made in huge graves-trenches. Piskaryovskoye Cemetery- More than million people (almost the same number of warriors, defenders died on the battle fields and died in the city hospitals) perished during the siege in Leningrad. Tens of thousands of people died during the evacuation. There are 186 common graves in the Piskaryovskoye cemetery, in which 420 thousands of inhabitants of the city, who died from hunger, bombing and shelling 70 thousands of soldiers, defenders of Leningrad are buried. On many city cemeteries the defenders of Leningrad are buried Bolsheokhtinskoye, Bogoslovskoye, Volkovskoye, Chesmenstkoye, Serafimovskoye, but Piskaryovskoye cemetery is the biggest among them. May 9, 1960 on the fifteenth anniversary of the Victory Day, Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery is the largest cemetery in the world, where victims of the World War II are buried. Every year on May 9 – Victory Day, on June 22 -= the beginning of the World War II, September 8 – the beginning of the siege, January 27 – the raising of the siege, solemn and mourning ceremonies of laying wreathes and flowers to the Monument of Motherland and Eternal Flame are organized on Piskaryovskoye Memorial cemetery. Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery is world famous, national monument of the history of the World War II, museum of the feat of Leningrad, school for teaching patriotism and love towards motherland. For the citizens of Russia, people living on the planet, who value piece and calmness on the earth, the memorial became the symbol of firmness, courage, selfless love to the motherland, surprising strength of spirit of the people – victors in the most murderous war in the world.

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A bilateral meeting with President Hu Jintao & Spanish Prime Minister
17-18th June 2011

A bilateral meeting took place between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Hu Jintao on 17th June. Speaking at the meeting President Hu who opposed any external interventions in Sri Lanka’s affairs, has stressed that China will always support Sri Lanka to safeguard the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and maintain the coordination and cooperation with Sri Lanka on regional and international affairs. During the meeting with President Rajapaksa, President Hu Jintao has said that China was pleased to see that, in recent years, Sri Lanka has achieved political stability and rapid economic development. He has also commended the positive progress in the post‐conflict resettlement of civilians.
The Chinese President has said Sri Lanka is a friend and partner of mutual trust. He has observed that in recent years, bilateral ties have kept their momentum and had deepened in the area of exchanges and cooperation in various fields. He has also said that China is willing to join hands with Sri Lanka to consolidate the traditional friendship, expand pragmatic cooperation, sincere mutual support and everlasting friendship and comprehensive cooperation partnership in Sri Lanka to new heights. President Rajapaksa has appreciated the unstinted support and assistance extended by the two countries on regional and international issues affecting the country as well as in the postwar development initiatives.
President Rajapaksa was joined by Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Senior Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka Mr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Ambassador of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation Udayanga Weeratunga while President Hu Jintao was joined by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and the Chinese Ambassador in the Russian Federation Li Hui and other senior officials from China.

Meanwhile President Rajapaksa has met with the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on 18th June on the sidelines of the meeting. At the meeting President Rajapaksa had briefed the Prime Minister Zapatero regarding the development activities and the progress in the resettlement process in Sri Lanka. He has invited Spanish investments in Sri Lanka. While commending on the progress achieved by Sri Lanka since the end of conflict, the Spanish Premier has expressed the need for the United Nations to support Sri Lanka in this process.

The Russian oil and gas company GAZPROM, one of the largest in the world, has agreed to commence oil and gas exploration in the seas off the coast Mannar. They have agreed to send a group of experts for feasibility studies and to find the possibility of using Liquid Natural Gas in Sri Lanka. The Russian company has agreed to set up an oil refinery in Sri Lanka. This was agreed following discussions between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Russian Gas and Oil Company chairman Alexei Miller in St Petersburg. GAZPROM is one of the largest gas companies in the world and supplies gas to a number of countries including 30 European nations with an annual outflow of 500 million cubic meters.

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President participation at the 15th St. Petersburg Economic Forum
17th June 2011

President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited St. Petersburg from 16‐18 June 2011 regarding his participation at the 15th St. Petersburg Economic Forum at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. During the visit President Rajapaksa met with Russian President and held bilateral discussions.
Speaking at the meeting President Medvedev has assured President Mahinda Rajapaksa that Russia will stand by Sri Lanka in its all efforts. Also the Russian president accentuate that both Russia and Sri Lanka have equally suffered from terrorism and that Russia is well aware of the pain and suffering caused by terrorism.
President Dmitry Medvedev, whose first bilateral meeting after the plenary sessions of the Forum was with President Rajapaksa has emphasized Russia’s stance to support Sri Lanka in all its efforts to rebuild the country after the end of conflict.
President Rajapaksa has expressed his appreciation to Russia for the assistance given for ushering sustainable peace in Sri Lanka and giving its fullest cooperation to develop the country. The two leaders have also discussed ways and means of improving trade and investment between the two countries.
Sri Lanka is enjoying rapid development in all spheres after the end of the 3 decade long LTTE terrorism. President Rajapaksa’s visit was highly fruitful in terms of strengthening bilateral ties and seeking new opportunities in the trade and tourism sectors.
On the development of investment opportunities, President Rajapaksa has invited Russian investors to take advantage of the good potential that prevails in Sri Lanka as a destination for investment in the region.
President Rajapaksa has also extended an invitation to the Russian President to visit Sri Lanka. President Medvedev has said he looks forward to visit Sri Lanka with his Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov who is fluent in Sinhala.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Senior Minister for Internal Monetary Cooperation Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Ambassador of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation Udayanga Weeratunga were also present during the discussion.

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President visits Hermitage and Petrodvorets
16 & 18th June 2011

President Rajapaksa also visits Hermitage & Peterhof.
State Hermitage
Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, Saint Petersburg was capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1712–1728, 1732–1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. The collection of the State Hermitage includes more than three million works of art and artefacts of the world culture. Among them are paintings, graphic works, sculptures and works of applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material. The main architectural ensemble of the Hermitage situated in the centre of St Petersburg consists of the Winter Palace, the former state residence of the Russian emperors, the buildings of the Small, Old (Great) and New Hermitages, the Hermitage Theatre and the Auxiliary House. The museum complex also includes the Menshikov Palace and the Eastern Wing of the General Staff building, the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre and the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory

Peterhof
One of St. Petersburg’s most famous and popular visitor attractions, the palace and park at Peterhof (also known as Petrodvorets) are often referred to as “the Russian Versaille”, although many visitors conclude that the comparison does a disservice to the grandeur and scope of this majestic estate. Versailles was, however, the inspiration for Peter the Great’s desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof – which means “Peter’s Court” in German – became the site for the Tsar’s Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter’s granddaughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the Grand Palace and greatly extended the park and the famous system of fountains, including the truly spectacular Grand Cascade. Improvements to the park continued throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Catherine the Great, after leaving her own mark on the park, moved the court to Pushkin, but Peterhof once again became the official Imperial Residence in the reign of Nicholas I, who ordered the building of the modest Cottage Palace in 1826. Like almost all St. Petersburg’s suburban estates, Peterhof was ravaged by German troops during the Second World War. It was, however, one of the first to be resurrected and, thanks to the work of military engineers and over 1,000 volunteers, most of the estate’s major structures had been fully restored by 1947. The name was also de-Germanicized after the war, becoming Petrodvorets, the name under which the surrounding town is still known. The palace and park are once again known as Peterhof.

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President visited St. Petersburg from 16‐18 June 2011
16th June 2011

President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited St. Petersburg from 16‐18 June 2011 regarding his participation at the 15th St. Petersburg Economic Forum at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. H.E. the President was warmly welcomed by the governor of St. Petersburg upon arrival by a special aircraft at the St. Petersburg, Pulkovo Airport at 14.30 PM on 16th June 2011. The International Airport at Petersburg had been beautifully decorated with Sri Lankan and Russian flags. Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Parlimentarian Hon. Sajin De Vas Gunawardane, President’s Secretary Mr.Lalith Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation H.E. Udayanga Weerathunga also present. After the initial welcoming ceremony the President was escorted to the official VVIP hall and tea was served for the Sri Lankan delegation. The governor of St. Petersburg accompanied President Rajapaksa to the “VVIP Cottage-Murmansk” in St. Petersburg, where the Sri Lankan leader was accommodated.

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