Assuming office as the Foreign Affairs Minister at the Foreign Ministry premises this morning Development Assignments Minister Tilak Marapana told reporters he would commit himself to ‘implementing the policies of the government’.

“I will always act under the direction of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe,” the newly appointed Foreign Minister said, adding that his job was to execute the wishes of his leaders.

Marapana said his predecessors Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva had rendered a yeoman service in projecting a favourable image of Sri Lanka to the international community.

“The resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council was the biggest challenge Sri Lanka faced in the recent past but Sri Lanka has countered the challenge successfully,” the Minister said.

He said Sri Lanka had convinced the international community she was committed to addressing her human rights obligation seriously and said he would do everything in his power to further this agenda.