President of the National Council Christa Markwalder welcomed the delegation to Bern and began by thanking them for the warm reception that they had given her on her official visit to Sri Lanka from 5 to 8 October 2016. She was impressed by the Sri Lankan hospitality and by the political change that the country has undergone.
The Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation drew attention to the reform measures being implemented by the new government, which include drafting a new constitution. Through these comprehensive domestic political reforms, the aim is to achieve a greater degree of power sharing, improve the delegation of responsibilities to the regions, and institutionalise the rights of minorities, and in particular the right of all ethnic groups to equal treatment. The Swiss delegation congratulated their counterparts on these reform efforts and explained the Swiss political system, which is characterised by its federal structures and the exceptionally high level of autonomy enjoyed by the cantons under the principle of subsidiarity.
In the course of the Sri Lankan reform process, the aim will be to consolidate parliamentary democracy and increase the participation and consultation of extra-parliamentary players. It is hoped to take advantage of Swiss expertise in achieving these aims. The Swiss Delegation stressed that it was in favour of consolidating parliamentary democracy and would be happy to provide technical expertise on Swiss parliamentary procedures.
In the aftermath of almost thirty years of civil war, Sri Lanka‘s has a particular interest in achieving lasting peace between its different ethnic groups, but above all between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamils. The Sri Lankan delegates expressed their gratitude for Swiss support in coming to terms with the past, devising confidence-building measures and strengthening the rule of law. The Swiss stressed that they were willing to work closely with their Sri Lankan counterparts in these fields in the future.
The cross-party delegation from the Sri Lankan parliament was led by Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation. The 225-member unicameral Sri Lankan parliament was elected last year for a six-year term. Sri Lanka and Switzerland enjoy excellent bilateral relations, not least because of the substantial Sri Lankan community in Switzerland.
Also attending the meetings on the Swiss side, in addition to President of the National Council Christa Markwalder, were former member of the Council of States Markus Stadler (GLP, UR), the Secretary General of the Conference of Cantonal Governments, Sandra Maissen, adviser to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Martin Stürzinger, and two representatives of the Parliamentary Services, Claudio Fischer and Nina Wirth.