Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake said cohorts of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime who continue to haunt the Central Bank, were behind his surprise removal from the Finance Ministry.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer, he alleged that there was a sinister political coup led by active members of the former regime who still continue to hold leading positions within the Central Bank.
“I will reveal the two names behind this operation in the days to come,” he said.
“These political players supported Rajapaksa during his election campaign in 2015, raising funds to back his campaign.
They worked against the common candidate,” he said.
The Minister said the Election victory in 2015 did not clean up the institutions that was ‘possessed’ by such corrupt players who contribute to send Sri Lanka to the cleaners.
He said the Cabinet reshuffle appointing him as the Foreign Minister came as a surprise. “Challenges are nothing new to me, I only need a little time to get accustomed. I am sure the President and Prime Minister have given me an opportunity to keep moving up and assist to make Sri Lanka a better place,” he said.
The new Foreign Minister expects to promote ‘commercial diplomacy’ as an important keg of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy and move away from being embroiled in Human Rights aspects.
He said he hopes to speed up Sri Lanka’s march towards economic prosperity. Sri Lanka’s foreign missions will be expected to work with new vigour in the trade sector as a result, he added.
Minister Karunanayake held the Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolio in the previous UNP Government (2001-2004).