Turkish Embassy refutes allegations of Gnanasara Thera

The Turkish Embassy has denied a statement made by the Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera that Sri Lanka was receiving 40 million Dollars through a Special Fund from Turkey to influence after designing fake views.

He Turkish Embassy said that the Thera had made this statement over a private TV Channel recently.

The Turkish Embassy in Sri Lanka in its statement further said that there are strong mutual relations between the two countries.

Accordingly Turkey was extending humanitarian and technological assistance to Sri Lanka from 2004 and it also includes direct assistance. Turkey was implementing various projects within Sri Lanka. Among them is the Midigama Tsunami Housing Project.

The Turkish Embassy said that in addition to an assistance project for the displaced in Mannar, they were also helping on behalf of a Child Welfare Project in the North. Turkey has also given technical assistance for the Peradeniya University as well as for fishermen and farmers in Trincomalee. It is also supporting the reconstruction of reservoirs in the Ampara area.

At the same time, in its statement the Turkish Embassy opined that it had granted cameras and laptops for local journalists. Training programmes are being launched for journalists in addition to vocational training.

All these activities were being done with full transparency and not with any other motives. It emphasized that Turkey will continue with its assistance programmes in the future