Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa tweeted on 18 August 2021 that he had spoken to the former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, “to inquire about the ongoing developments unfolding in his country and reaffirmed #SriLanka’s continued support to the People of Afghanistan.” Sri Lankan Media Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson, Dullas Alahapperuma, has since said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed the Foreign Ministry to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to announce Sri Lanka’s stand on it. Alahapperuma added that Sri Lanka was saddened by the plight of the Afghan people with so many trying to leave the country.
The Foreign Ministry released a statement on 21 August 2021, maintaining that the Government of Sri Lanka was “deeply concerned” and “closely monitoring developments”, emphasising that their primary concern was the safety and security of Sri Lankans living in Afghanistan and evacuating them to safety or back to Sri Lanka. It also stated that Foreign Minister Prof GL Peiris was meeting relevant envoys and requesting their assistance for Sri Lankans in Afghanistan. Further, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has met with the Afghan Ambassador to Sri Lanka, M. Ashraf Haidari, and offered “full support” to the embassy in Colombo. Ambassador designate of Sri Lanka to Iran, Wishwanath Aponsu, called on the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs on 1 September 2021 in Tehran. While this was simply a courtesy call, in the current geopolitical climate, when the entire world is waiting, watching, and assessing the situation in Afghanistan, any engagement between countries in the region becomes relevant.
