Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who had initially confirmed his participation at the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Indonesia, canceled his trip a day before the main event, Indonesian Foreign Ministry said.

Higher Education Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama represents him at the event.

Similarly, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also canceled his participation, Indonesian officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Indonesia Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir confirmed Sri Lanka and Pakistan had sent notifications regarding the cancellations. “Sri Lanka cited domestic issues related to the parliament as the reason. Pakistan also cited domestic matters.”

The Sri Lankan and Pakistani leaders were among several leaders who had cancelled their participation at the event. However, the absence of the leaders of the two countries is significant as they were among the five sponsors of the first Summit, held in Bandung, in 1955.

In 2005, when Indonesia hosted the conference’s 50th anniversary, about 89 countries sent representatives. More than 50 of them sent their heads of state or government.
(With inputs from Jakarta Post)