‘Canada Haven For Terrorists’: Sri Lankan Minister Says Trudeau’s Claims Are ‘Outrageous’

India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Amid the ongoing standoff between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Sri Lanka has come out in support of India and said that terrorists have found a safe haven in Canada. Calling Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegations ‘outrageous’ and ‘without proof’, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said Trudeau speaks lie, adding that the same was done when Canada said Sri Lanka had a genocide. He said that Trudeau’s ‘substantiated’ allegation doesn’t surprise him at all.

“Some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada. The Canadian PM has this way of just coming out with some outrageous allegations without any supporting proof. The same thing they did for Sri Lanka, a terrible, total lie about saying that Sri Lanka had a genocide. Everybody knows there was no genocide in our country,” Sabry told news agency ANI.

#WATCH | New York: On India-Canada row, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry says “Some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada. The Canadian PM has this way of just coming out with some outrageous allegations without any supporting proof. The same thing they did for… pic.twitter.com/J2KfzbAG99

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2023

“I saw yesterday he had gone and given a rousing welcome to somebody who have associated with the Nazis in the past during the Second World War. So this is questionable and we have dealt with it in the past. I am not surprised that sometime PM Trudeau comes out with outrageous and substantiated allegations,” he slammed Canada for honouring a Nazi unit veteran in House of Commons.

On the other hand, outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda backed India’s “firm and direct” response to Canada and said that Colombo supports New Delhi on the matter. In a press conference, he said that the people of Sri Lanka have suffered due to terrorism and that his country has zero tolerance for terrorism, reported ANI.

“I think India’s response has been unequivocal and also firm and direct. And I think as far as we are concerned, we support India on that. Having said that, also, in my lifetime now, I’m 60 years old, 40 years of my life, we have spent facing various forms of terrorism in Sri Lanka. I have lost many friends, and colleagues to terrorism,” Moragoda said on the India-Canada diplomatic row.

VIDEO | “I think India’s response has been unequivocal and also firm and direct. I think as far as we are concerned, we support India on that,” said Milinda Moragoda, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, on India-Canada row. pic.twitter.com/k24Jf5We2S

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 25, 2023

“We have all mean many Sri Lankans have died to terrorism. So, therefore, our position on these matters, I think is very clear because we have endured and we have suffered. And as a country that has gone through that tolerance for terrorism is zero tolerance,” he added.

That Doesn’t Help: Sri Lanka On Trudeau’s ‘Genocide’ Comment

Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said that PM Trudeau’s ‘genocide’ comment “doesn’t help” at all and it has affected the ties between the two countries. Sabry added that no country should interfere in another’s matter and Sri Lanka is not “happy about that statement”.

“That has actually affected our relationship… Ministry of Global Affairs has very clearly said that Sri Lanka did not go through a genocide, whereas PM Trudeau as a politician stands up and says that genocide had taken place. That itself is contradictory to each other. That doesn’t help. I don’t think anyone should poke their nose into other countries and tell as to how we should govern our country. We love our country more than anyone else. That’s why we are in our country. We are not very happy about that statement at all,” he said.

#WATCH | New York: On Sri Lanka-Canada relationship affected due to Canadian PM Trudeau’s ‘genocide’ comment and on wider Indo pacific, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry says “That has actually affected our relationship… Ministry of Global Affairs has very clearly said… pic.twitter.com/aN5UBoi9RX

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2023

He emphasied the need to strengthen the Indian Ocean identity, adding “…we need to strengthen the regional architecture. We have to look after our region. We need to work together. That’s how we can create a peaceful environment. We should not be dictated by anyone else as to how we should conduct our affairs.”

Urged Indian Govt In Public And Private To Cooperate In Canadian Probe: US

Meanwhile, the US has said that it is imperative that Canada proceeds with its probe into the allegations of a “potential link” between India and the murder of separatist Sikh leader Nijjar. During a press briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US is “deeply concerned” and remains in close contact with Canadian partners.

#WATCH | On India-Canada row, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says, “We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by Canadian PM Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners. We believe it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceed… pic.twitter.com/hVmgHhGeD6

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2023

“We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by Canadian PM Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners. We believe it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and that the perpetrators be brought to justice. We have publicly and privately urged the Indian Government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation,” Miller added.

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