Refuting allegations made by the ‘Sunday Times’ Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Russia, Prof. Dayan Jayatilleka claims the news was inaccurate and false.
“The headline of the newspaper story ‘Defense Attache’ recalled from Moscow after Dayan's Protest’ is false he said adding that he made no such "protest" and neither did he make an “official complaint" against the attache.
The Ambassador also denied sending a report to the Foreign Ministry as claimed by the newspaper.
I have made no official complaint about any staffer and have sent nothing in writing to either the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Defense on any staffer or matter” Jayatilleke clarified.
However, the Ambassador did admit that he made certain critical observations in good humour, in agreement with the Defence Attache’s superior at an informal dinner claiming these have been taken out of context and embellished or spun. “The newspaper should have checked the story with me, which it did not” he added.
The Sunday Times in its report claimed Air Force Group Captain Channa Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s Defence Attache in Moscow, has been recalled to Colombo and instructions had gone out last week after an official complaint by Sri Lanka new Ambassador in Moscow Dayan Jayatilleka.
It went on to say that the ambassador had said the Air Force officer had allegedly “partitioned” the Embassy premises calling it the “Defence Section” leaving other areas in the diplomatic mission outside it.
“Dr. Jayatilleke contended that he could not be the head of only one part of the Sri Lanka Embassy. He also alleged that the Defence Attache had imported a vehicle for his use in Moscow and it cost US$ 80,000” the report said. It also claimed Air Marshal Jayampathi was first told of the actions of the Defence Attache by Ambassador Jayatilleke when he visited Moscow recently and was recalled thereafter.
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