The Asian Geopolitics Sustainability and Peace Council has called on Sri Lanka to leverage its neutrality in the Middle East conflict and mobilise a coalition of Global South nations to push for a lasting cessation of hostilities.
The statement, signed by Prof Mohan Munasinghe and Sugiswara Senadheera, argues that Sri Lanka’s refusal to take sides in the conflict positions the country to revive its historic diplomatic tradition. The council noted that Sri Lanka declined a US request to provide refuelling access for warplanes and, when an Iranian vessel was damaged within Sri Lanka’s maritime economic zone, the navy rescued sailors and brought them for hospital treatment.
The council cited Sri Lanka’s distinguished diplomatic record, including JR Jayewardene’s landmark 1951 San Francisco speech opposing Japanese war reparations, PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s Indian Ocean Peace Zone resolution, the 1976 Non-Aligned Movement summit in Colombo attended by 86 heads of state, and Sri Lankan UN Envoy Shirley Amarasinghe’s role in establishing UNCLOS.
“Sri Lanka and other neutral countries are already feeling the consequences of the effective closure of the Straits of Hormuz,” the statement said, warning that further escalation could exacerbate a global recession and increase the risk of wider conflict.
The call comes as Sri Lanka navigates an energy crisis driven by the Middle East conflict, with oil prices remaining volatile despite a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered through Pakistan in early April.
The council urged that the current temporary ceasefire be extended into a lasting peace framework, calling on neutral nations to take a more active diplomatic role rather than relying solely on great power mediation.
