President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Kuwait today to attend the Summit of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue, the Government Information Department said. 

Asian leaders are set to hold the first summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) beginning in Kuwait tomorrow to discuss way of enhancing cooperation to protect Asian countries from global economic crisis.

The three-day summit of the 32-member ACD in the capital of Kuwait, will also focus on ways to activate the forum, which was set up in 2002 to strengthen regional cooperation and dialogue among Asian countries.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, among others, will take part in the summit.

Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will open the summit at Liberation Conference Building while the inaugural session is to be addressed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the General Coordinator of the ACD.


External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris left on Friday (12) for the foreign ministers’ meeting preceding the summit.

The President’s delegation includes Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha, MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardene , President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and MP A.H.M. Azwer.