Sri Lanka, Nov. 7 -- Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath addressed Parliament to clarify the government's sponsorship of the 63rd Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly.

He explained that the financial backing was intended strictly to leverage international media exposure to boost Sri Lanka's tourism sector, rather than to benefit a private television entity.

The hosting rights for the 2026 summit were awarded to MTV during the 2024 ABU General Assembly in Turkiye; thus, the Sri Lankan government did not pick the host broadcaster, but instead chose to utilize the gathering to market the nation to global visitors.

The ABU network spans roughly 225 media outlets across 66 nations, brin...