Moscow [Russia], September 27: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of turning his country into a safe haven for terrorists after the Canadian parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran of a German Nazi-affiliated unit that notoriously killed Jews in World War II.
"Some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada. And I saw that yesterday he [Trudeau] gave a rousing welcome to somebody who has associated with the Nazis in the past, in World War II," Sabry told Indian news agency ANI.
The Sri Lankan foreign minister said the honouring of YaroslavHunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian who fought in the ranks of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Nazi SS, was questionable, especially when compared to accusations made by Trudeau who said that Sri Lanka and India persecuted Tamil and Sikh minorities, respectively.
"The Canadian prime minister has this way of coming up with some outrageous allegations without any supporting proof. The same thing he did for Sri Lanka - a terrible, total lie that Sri Lanka had genocide," Sabry said.
The honouring of a Nazi volunteer caused outrage among Canadian lawmakers who asked why the House of Commons speaker, Anthony Rota, had not had his guest vetted. Hunka was celebrated as "a hero" who stood up to the Russians during WWII, shortly before Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky addressed the parliament on Friday.
Trudeau said he was deeply embarrassed by the incident, while his office stated that neither the prime minister nor Zelensky's delegation were notified in advance of Rota's decision to invite Hunka. The speaker apologized, while ignoring calls to stand down.
Poland and Jewish groups in Canada and abroad condemned the honour.
Source: Qatar Tribune