VIDEO: President Rajapaksa assumes G-15 chairmanship

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over the chairmanship of the G-15 from the Iranian President a short while ago during the 14^th Summitbeing held in Teheran.

The Group of 15 (G-15) summit is being held in Teheran, the capital of Irantoday (May 17) and tomorrow. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handed over the chairmanship of the 18-member organization to President Rajapaksa at the International Islamic Conference Hall in the Iranian capital.

President’s Secretary Lalith Weerathunge, Parliamentarian Sajin De Vas Gunawardena, newly appointed Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Harry Jayawardena were among those who accompanied President Rajapaksa to Teheran, while Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe had gone there earlier.

The G-15, established by 15 developing countries during the Ninth Non-Aligned Summit in September 1989, focusing on cooperation among developing countries in the areas of investment, trade, and technology.

The G-15 comprises Algeria,Argentina, Brazil, Chile,Egypt, India, Indonesia,Iran, Jamaica, Kenya,Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico,Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka,Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.