Sri Lankan president announces security shakeup
President Maithripala Sirisena said Tuesday that he would move quickly to restructure Sri Lanka's intelligence and security apparatus in response to a failure to act on warnings received ahead of the Easter Sunday attacks, which left more than 300 people dead.
President Maithripala Sirisena said Tuesday that he would move quickly to restructure Sri Lanka's intelligence and security apparatus in response to a failure to act on warnings received ahead of the Easter Sunday attacks, which left more than 300 people dead, EFE reports.
I will completely restructure the police and security forces in the coming weeks. I expect to change the heads of defense establishments within next 24 hours," Sirisena said in a televised speech.
The alert reportedly came from Indian intelligence.
People question why action had not been taken despite the availability of intelligence support from a friendly neighbouring country," the president said. "The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. Appropriate actions would have been taken."
I have decided to take stern action against these officials," he said.
The attacks began at 8.45 am Sunday with six coordinated explosions at three luxury hotels in Colombo and three churches across the country as they were holding Easter services.
Another blast in the afternoon left two dead in a small hotel near Dehiwala Zoo, around 10km (6mi) south of the capital.
The eighth explosion killed three police officers at a residential complex in Dematagoda, Colombo.
Most of the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers.
The death toll stands at 321, while 521 others were wounded.
Islamic State said Tuesday via its Amaq news outlet that it was responsible for the attack, but without offering any evidence. The terror group has made a series of false claims in recent years.
Later, however, Amaq disseminated a video purporting to show the Sri Lankan perpetrators swearing loyalty to IS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi.
The footage features eight people standing in front of a black IS banner. Seven of the figures are masked, while the eighth, whose face is visible, administers the oath in Arabic.
Sri Lanka's defense minister, Ruwan Wijewardene, said the attacks were believed to be a response to the recent mass shooting of Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch," he told a special sitting of parliament.
Sri Lanka's government has blamed the blasts on a domestic Islamist group, National Thowheed Jamath, though it did not rule out links to foreign organizations.
NTJ has not carried out any large-scale attacks in the past but was accused last year of vandalizing Buddhist statues. The group has not said it carried out Sunday's bombings.
Police said that they have detained 40 suspects in connection with the Easter massacre.
A state of emergency, including a dusk-to-dawn curfew, has been implemented to prevent further attacks.
At least 32 foreigners were among the fatalities and another 30 were hospitalized, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
The foreign nationals known to have died were from countries including Belgium, the United States, China, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The US Embassy in Colombo released a travel advisory warning that terror groups may be planning further attacks in the country.
Last Sunday was the deadliest day in Sri Lanka since the end of the 1983-2009 civil war between Tamil rebels and the Sinhalese-led government.
Tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of the conflict, according to data provided by the United Nations.
Sri Lanka, an island nation of 21 million people with a Sinhalese Buddhist majority, has a number of religious minorities, including Hindus, Muslims - about 10 percent of the population - and Christians, who represent roughly 7 percent.
In 2018, the government declared a state of emergency after violence erupted between Muslims and Buddhists leading to two deaths and dozens of arrests.
Source: Kazinform News Agency
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Kazakhstan and Czech Republic: New Horizons of Cooperation
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Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský, who arrived in Astana on an official visit, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The parties discussed key issues of bilateral cooperation, the regional and global agenda, and exchanged views on prospects for further deepening of mutually beneficial relations.
The Kazakh Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the dynamic development of political, economic and cultural-humanitarian dialogue with the Czech Republic over 30 years of diplomatic relations. The Minister also highlighted the strengthening of trade and economic cooperation in recent years, reflected in the growth of mutual trade turnover and the inflow of foreign direct investment.
Particular attention was paid to the prospects for cooperation in engineering, transport, logistics, pharmaceuticals, energy, and nanotechnology and hydrogen production. The successful activities of leading Czech companies in Kazakhstan, such as Škoda Auto, Omnipol, Home Credit Bank and others were noted.
In this regard, Kazakh Foreign Minister said: "We also see promising horizons for expanding cooperation in the field of energy and climate security."
In turn, Lipavsky confirmed the Czech Republic’s intention to further develop multifaceted cooperation with Kazakhstan in all areas of mutual interest. In particular, he stated: "We attach great importance to our partnership with Kazakhstan. I am confident that my visit will contribute to further deepening of our bilateral relations - both in the politically and in trade and investment."
During the negotiations, the role of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in ensuring connectivity between Europe and Asia and promoting trade development was also discussed.
Considering the results of the referendum in favor of the constructing a nuclear power plant in our country, the Kazakh side expressed interest in Czech expertise in this sector.
Reviewing the implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in April 2023, the ministers noted with satisfaction the importance of launching regular direct flights between Astana and Prague earlier this year, which enhances opportunities for collaboration in business, tourism and culture.
The successful launch of the Kazakh-Czech project to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan was discussed separately. In June 2024, the first seven individuals of this rare species were delivered to the "Altyn Dala" nature reserve, with plans to introduce in total 40 individuals over the next five years.
The parties agreed to intensify cooperation in science, research and higher education. The Czech Minister expressed support for the prompt launch of negotiations on a draft agreement to simplify the EU visa regime for Kazakh citizens.
Discussing current regional and global issues, including conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic expressed hope for the resumption of peaceful and constructive dialogue between the opposing sides.
Minister Nurtleu reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s firm commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and the country’s balanced foreign policy aimed at resolving conflicts exclusively by peaceful means.
Within the framework of the traditionally fruitful cooperation between Astana and Prague at the United Nations, the head of Kazakh diplomacy congratulated his counterpart on the election of the Czech Republic to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term.
Following the negotiations, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic was signed.
For reference: The Czech Republic is among Kazakhstan’s top nine trading partners in the EU. In 2023, bilateral trade amounted to 626.8 million US dollars (+48.4%), including exports of 147.7 million dollars and imports of 479.1 million dollars. From January to August 2024, two-way trade amounted to 357.9 million dollars. Since 2005, the total volume of direct investments from the Czech Republic to Kazakhstan amounted to 354.5 million dollars. In the first half of 2024, it was 24.9 million dollars.
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41st Meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club Reviews Prospects of Introducing ESG Principles
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The 41st meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club (BEC) on the topic "Adhering to ESG Principles in Economic Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU/Germany" was held, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The event was attended by representatives of Kazakh and European state bodies, business associations, as well as the experts, academic, business communities, and financial institutions.
In his welcoming remarks, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko highlighted the key outcomes of the official visit of the Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz to Astana on September 16-17 as well as Kazakhstan's experience in implementing ESG principles (environmental, social and governance).
During the visit to Kazakhstan, Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highly praised the work of BEC. Due to the effectiveness of this dialogue platform, our business partnership is developing in new formats of interaction. Thus, 41 documents were signed for a total amount of 6.3 billion USD within the framework of the Kazakh-German Business Forum with the participation of President Tokayev and Chancellor Scholz," - said Vassilenko.
The Deputy Minister also called on European partners to expand their investments in the republic, taking into account the application of sustainability principles across all sectors of the economy. He noted that "Kazakhstan is promoting a new economic paradigm aimed at creating an economy based on sustainability and environmental responsibility, implementing business obligations aligned with European and German sustainable supply chain laws, and developing a carbon credit trading system". The strategic goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2060 was also emphasized.
Representative of the European Commission, the Directorate-General international officer for Energy Cyril Loisel, welcomed Kazakhstan's measures, particularly highlighting a large-scale project for the production of "green" hydrogen implemented by the company HYRASIA/Svevind, and Kazakhstan's accession to the Global Methane Pledge. He also underscored the prospects for developing interconnectivity between European and Central Asian electrical grids and the importance of timely implementation of projects in this area.
The hybrid-format discussion participated by Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan Mansur Oshurbaev (online), Chairman of the BEC Advisory Council Peter Tils, Director for "Green" Transition at the German Eastern Business Association Jens Boelmann, Chairman of the Board of the International Center for Green Technologies and Investment Projects Didar Karimsakov, Managing Director for Products of the Astana International Financial Center Administration Daniyar Kelbetov, and others.
It was noted that one of the leading drivers of ESG principles in Kazakhstan is the financial sector. A number of regulatory acts have been adopted to stimulate and enhance transparency of ESG approaches in the activities of banking and financial institutions, including in the financing of new projects.
Participants unanimously agreed that the widespread transition to sustainable and responsible business in line with ESG principles is becoming an increasingly important factor and even a fundamental prerequisite for maintaining the competitiveness of the economy and developing international economic relations. In this sphere, further deepening of cooperation between Kazakhstan and its European partners is gaining particular importance.
For reference: The Berlin Eurasian Club was established in 2012. The Club's activities are aimed at maintaining dialogue between Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and the European Union in socio-political, trade-economic, and educational spheres. The Club’s platform allows politicians, businesspeople, scientists, and experts to "sync up" on current issues of the Kazakh-German and Kazakh-European agenda, engage in open exchanges of opinions, and develop proposals for further cooperation.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.