New office bearers have been appointed to the Sri Lanka – Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Association, with MP S.M.M Muszhaaraff being appointed as the President.
Following the recent appointment (Dec 07), the inaugural meeting of the Sri Lanka – Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Association for the Ninth Parliament was held in Parliament and was chaired by the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.
According to a Parliament statement, Charge d’ affairs of the High Commission of the Republic of Maldives to Sri Lanka, Fathimah Ghina was present as the guest of honour. Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa, several Members of Parliament and the Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera were also present at this meeting.
Members of Parliament Faisal Kasim, Rajika Wickramasinghe and Charles Nirmalanathan were appointed as the Vice Presidents of the Friendship Association. Member of Parliament Major Sudarshana Denipitiya was appointed as Secretary, while Member of Parliament Selvam Adeikalanathan was appointed as Assistant Secretary and MP Ishaq Rahuman was appointed as the Treasurer.
Addressing the gathering, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that the establishment of the Sri Lanka-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Association will help to enhance the bilateral relationship with the Maldives, a close friend of Sri Lanka.
Fathimah Ghina, the Charge d’ affairs of the High Commission of the Republic of Maldives to Sri Lanka, congratulated the newly appointed officials and emphasized the importance of the Parliamentary Friendship Association to develop the friendship between the two countries in various fields.
Speaking at the meeting, the newly appointed President of the Sri Lanka-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Association, MP Muszhaaraff, extended his gratitude for being elected as the President of the Friendship Association and said that he would take measures to strengthen Sri Lanka-Maldives relations in the future. (NewsWire)