Hon. Vijitha Herath - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism

Hon. Speaker, Sri Lanka expresses deep concern over the rapid escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, which poses a serious threat to regional stability and to international peace and security. Sri Lanka calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate and decisive steps to de-escalate the situation, and to refrain from any further provocative actions that could trigger a wider regional conflict with grave humanitarian and economic consequences. That is our position. A war environment in the region will, indeed, affect our country. Therefore, our policy is to pursue dialogue and a negotiated settlement to prevent further escalation. We have already engaged with various States on this. Last night, H.E. the President spoke by telephone with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates. This evening too, we will confer by telephone with several Heads of State and Foreign Ministers on this situation. As a responsible nation committed to regional and global peace, we are actively engaged. Regarding the incident this morning: the report is correct. It occurred outside our maritime boundary. In the maritime zone not belonging to us, there was an Iranian Navy vessel, “IRIS Dena”. A distress message that the vessel was sinking reached our Navy and the Department of Coast Guard at about 5.08 a.m. We intervened from around 6.00 a.m., dispatching a first naval craft, and then another. The Air Force also assisted. Approximately 30 persons were in serious distress; about 180 people were reportedly on board. We acted immediately to save lives and have conveyed the injured to Karapitiya Hospital; some have already been admitted there. Sri Lanka is a Party to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (1979). Under that Convention, if a vessel and its passengers suffer distress beyond our maritime boundaries, we are bound—regardless of nationality or cause—to intervene to save lives. It is our obligation and a humanitarian duty. Our health staff are now attending to the injured at Karapitiya. On the broader regional security concern raised: such incidents adversely affect regional and even global security. Our objective is to help prevent escalation. The Government has already taken immediate steps where required. As to Sri Lankans in the Middle East (official figures at hand): - Kuwait: 322,437 - Saudi Arabia: 242,593 - Qatar: 203,182 - United Arab Emirates: 170,468 - Oman: 36,812 - Israel: 27,472 - Jordan: 24,184 - Bahrain: 14,374 - Lebanon: 7,925 - Iraq: 641 - Yemen: 168 - Iran: 108 - Syria: 78 In total, around one million Sri Lankans are employed in the Middle East region. I will table the detailed document. We note some major airports in various countries were closed; with changing conditions, several have since reopened. Our Ports and Civil Aviation Ministry has engaged multiple times—including yesterday—with private airlines and with ICAO. We are working to route flights promptly to and from affected countries. Immediately after the incident day, the Ministry established an Emergency Operations Unit, coordinating with all our missions abroad. This unit operates 24/7, and all our overseas missions also maintain 24/7 emergency contact. We have publicised the contact numbers via all media and will table the list. The Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau has also established a 24/7 information centre. The hotline 1989 is available around the clock, and WhatsApp +94 71 980 2822 is active for information. This centre is in constant contact with labour and welfare sections of our missions in the Middle East. From 28 February to date, we have received about 30 enquiries, including: - 16 requests from relatives to bring migrant workers back, - 4 complaints of lost contact, - 4 requests regarding workers’ safety, - general queries about the war environment and families overseas. As of yesterday, 109 Sri Lankans were awaiting assistance in Saudi Arabia and 22 in Oman; with this morning’s flight, some from Oman may already be en route home. Where any Sri Lankan is in distress, our missions are actively providing food, lodging, essential needs, medical and, where needed, legal assistance. We are grateful to Sri Lankans overseas who are also voluntarily assisting fellow citizens through our missions. We have authorised immediate funding to missions for such assistance. On transport: Oman’s airspace is fully open. SalamAir, Flydubai, FitsAir and SriLankan Airlines are operating. A SalamAir flight arrived around 4.00 a.m. today. FitsAir has operated two aircraft shuttles between Katunayake and Dubai; passengers are being brought back as well. SriLankan has continued operations to the UK, Frankfurt and Paris. Where airports were closed, we paused only those services and resumed once reopened. On ICAO: so far no special global measures have been taken; decisions are being made by national civil aviation regulators, and airlines are conducting their own safety and security assessments. We are in contact and taking necessary steps accordingly. On remittances: there has been no decline so far. In 2025, Sri Lanka received a record USD 8.2 billion in remittances. We are taking steps to sustain flows this year as well. In a war environment, bank operations or private apps could face disruptions; we are discussing alternatives with the relevant authorities. On fuel supply and OPEC: OPEC is a producers’ organisation; imports are through companies. We are in contact with suppliers and coordinating via our missions. At present, we have adequate stocks and ongoing imports, mainly via India, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea. The current Middle East conflict has not yet disrupted our fuel transport routes; we will monitor and be ready with alternatives if necessary. On the Strait of Hormuz: a closure there would not affect Sri Lanka’s current oil import routes, as we are not presently importing via that strait; alternative routes, including around the Cape of Good Hope, are in use. While a closure could affect global production and transport, Sri Lanka’s present routes are different. On oil prices: if the conflict escalates, global prices could rise; that is the global reality and not due to our Government. We acted immediately: the President and the security establishment convened the Security Council the next day; measures were taken to secure all foreign missions in Sri Lanka and the safety of tourists and foreign residents. For tourists unable to depart due to flight issues, visa validity was extended by two weeks (and we are ready to extend further if required). We are also addressing insurance extension issues; a special meeting chaired by the President will be held at 2.00 p.m. today. We are committed to the safety of foreign workers, tourists and other foreign project personnel in Sri Lanka. During previous storms, we protected tourists without any casualties and assured Sri Lanka’s safety as a destination. Even in December, despite Cyclone “Ditva” and transport disruptions, decisive action helped achieve the highest-ever monthly tourist arrivals. We are taking prompt measures now as well, and tourists are arriving through alternative flight routings, including via Türkiye. All necessary immediate measures that a Government should take are being taken—and will continue to be taken as needed.