Sri Lanka, Feb. 23 -- Former Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has commented on the recent cancellation of speaking engagements at the Oxford Union and the Cambridge Union, which had been scheduled to feature Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa.

In a statement, Sabry said debating chambers such as the Oxford and Cambridge Unions have, for generations, stood as symbols of fearless dialogue and the testing of ideas through reasoned argument. Recalling his own experience addressing the Cambridge Union, he noted that such platforms offer a rare opportunity to confront differences openly, respectfully, and in a spirit of intellectual honesty.

He described it as regrettable that invitations extended in that tradition were withdrawn in the face of what he ...