Minister Bimal Rathnayake met with members of the Sri Lankan community in Rome on March 1 during an official visit to Italy.
The minister arrived in Rome to formally convey an invitation from President Anura Dissanayake to Pope Leo XIV for an official visit to Sri Lanka.
The invitation is to be extended during a meeting with the Under-Secretary for Relations with States at the Vatican, Monsignor Mihăiţă Blaj.
The community meeting, organized by the Rome Executive Committee of the National People’s Power, was attended by a large number of Sri Lankans living in Italy.
Addressing the gathering, Rathnayake spoke about the current political developments in Sri Lanka and stressed the importance of contributing to national development, setting aside differences and working collectively as Sri Lankans.
Attention was also drawn to issues faced by Sri Lankans in Italy, particularly challenges related to converting Sri Lankan driving licenses to Italian licenses and difficulties encountered by Sri Lankan heavy vehicle drivers. (Newswire)