By PNA / Xinhua and U.S. News Agency / Asian

Over 600 legislators from Commonwealth countries will arrive in Sri Lanka next week to attend a Commonwealth Parliamentarians summit, a statement said on Friday.

Sri Lanka’s Speaker of parliament Chamal Rajapaksa will chair the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentarians summit which begins on Monday and continues for a week, a government statement said.

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association William Shija will attend the summit together with parliamentarians from 54 countries.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the chief guest at the conference that will discuss a range of issues of common concern from empowering future generations through access to health, education and vocational training to the threat to democracy, peace and security from terrorism.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, headquartered in London is a powerful organization dedicated to strengthening good parliamentary practice and respect for the institution of Parliament.

The Sri Lankan government said that holding the conference in Colombo is indicative of the new climate of peace and normalcy prevailing in Sri Lanka after the war against terrorism and a sign of the international confidence in Sri Lanka.

A delegation from the British parliament led by Labor party legislator Dr. Roberta Blackman-Woods will also be attending the summit, the government statement said.

Britain has been among the countries calling for an international investigation in Sri Lanka into allegations of war crimes allegedly committed during the final stages of the war between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan military.

Despite the end of the war three years ago the British Foreign office had recently issued a travel advice to British nationals saying that there is a sense of nationalism in Sri Lanka after the war and foreigners are at times targeted during protests.

The Sri Lankan government has urged Britain to remove the travel advice.