Sri Lanka’s foreign policy must be fiercely independent and always be non-aligned, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne stated.

Speaking exclusively to Indeewari Amuwatte at the '@HydePark' program on Ada Derana 24, Wickramaratne expressed the following:

“Sri Lanka’s foreign policy must be fiercely independent, because we have come out of 500 years of colonial rule. Doesn’t matter which government is in power. Our independent is not going to depend via external forces. We need to know our place in the world. Our best security is our foreign policy and Sri Lanka’s foreign policy must always be non- aligned. We are not going to be a vessel state of China or India or any other emerging powers.”

Speaking further Wickramaratne stated that the country needs foreign investments to develop and added that Sri Lanka should maximize on its location.

"Now there is a debate about the East Terminal. what is this debate about? Our vision has to be bigger. Investments has no race or color. It is the rule of law that is important. If we are really going to develop this country economically, it is just not the East Terminal. We also need the West Terminal. We need the Northern terminals. Global politics can change. We can’t do this on our own. We need the foreign investments to do it. So it takes vision but it takes political courage to do this thing.”

“Sri Lanka’s one big advantage is its locational positioning. If there are going to be movements from East to West and West to East, from Sri Lanka not just to the Indian subcontinent, we could trans-ship into the Middle East to Africa. It is just fortunate location that we have got. We need to maximize it, as a transshipment point, as a logistic hub. So, to do that, we have to think big.”