Four newly appointed ambassadors and two high commissioners formally presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (20).

According to the President’s Office, the envoys are:

1. Vincent Sumale – High Commissioner of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (resident in New Delhi)
2. Abdullahi Mohammed Odowa – Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia (resident in New Delhi)
3. Christian Biever – Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (resident in New Delhi)
4. Monsignor Andrzej Józwowicz – Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican
5. Major General (Retired) Nayyar Naseer – High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
6. Saleh Mubarak Al-Sarawi – Ambassador of the State of Kuwait

Following the credential ceremony, President Dissanayake engaged in cordial discussions with the diplomats. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath and Presidential Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake were also present. (Newswire)

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Nine newly appointed ambassadors and one high commissioner to Sri Lanka officially presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (28 Nov).

The new ambassadors represent Burkina Faso, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Guinea.

Additionally, a new high commissioner has been appointed to represent the Republic of Kenya.

Below is the list of the new ambassadors and the high commissioner who presented their credentials to the President;

Dr. Désiré Boniface Some
Ambassador-designate of Burkina Faso based in New Delhi
Mr. Haris Hrle
Ambassador-designate of Bosnia and Herzegovina based in New Delhi
Mr. Elchin Huseynli
Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Azerbaijan based in New Delhi
Mr. Vakhtang Jaoshvili
Ambassador-designate of Georgia based in New Delhi
Mr. Mikhail Kasko
Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Belarus based in New Delhi
Mr. Vahagn Afyan
Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Armenia based in New Delhi
Mr. Juan Antonio March Pujol
Ambassador-designate of the Kingdom of Spain based in New Delhi
Mr. Raymond Serge Balé
Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Congo based in New Delhi
Mr. Alassane Conte
Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Guinea based in New Delhi
Mr. Munyiri Peter Maina
High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of Kenya based in New Delhi. (Newswire)

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe received the credentials of two newly appointed High Commissioners and three Ambassadors to Sri Lanka at the President’s House in Colombo on Wednesday (Aug 21).

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the High Commissioners representing the Republic of Zambia and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh presented their credentials to the President. 

Additionally, Ambassadors from the Republic of Lithuania, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar also handed over their credentials.

Below is the list of the new High Commissioners and Ambassadors who presented the credentials to President Wickremesinghe:

1. Ms. Diana Mickeviciene
   Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Lithuania based in New Delhi
2. Ms. Trinh Thi Tam
   Ambassador-designate of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Colombo
3. Ms. Marlar Than Htaik
   Ambassador-designate of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar based in Colombo
4. Mr. Percy Patson Chanda
   High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of Zambia based in New Delhi
5. Mr. Andalib Elias
   High Commissioner-designate of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh based in Colombo

After receiving the credentials, President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial conversation with the newly appointed Ambassadors and the High Commissioners. (Newswire)

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National Peoples Power (NPP) Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake has held discussions with the Japan, South Africa, and Switzerland Heads of Missions in Sri Lanka. 

According to the NPP, MP Dissanayake met with Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mizukoshi Hideaki, High Commissioner of South Africa Sandile Schalk, and Ambassador to Switzerland Siri Walt. 

The meeting took place at the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s Head Office on Thursday (May 09) with the participation of an NPP delegation, consisting of Dr. Rizwi Sally, Saroja Paulraj, Ramalingam Chandrasekar and Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara.

The First Secretary (Political Affairs) of the Japanese Embassy Murata Shinichi, the Second Secretary (Political Affairs) of the South African High Commission Zanethemba Tshangela and the First Secretary (Political Affairs) of the Switzerland Embassy Justine Boillat also participated in the discussion. 

An intense discussion was held on maintaining peace and harmony between the nationalities of Sri Lanka, while questions were raised on the NPP’s policies and solutions in this regard.

Responding, the NPP Leader shared that his party was not ready to use racism for politics in any way, and emphasized that they are ready to provide solutions to the national problem based on equality and democracy.

The NPP delegation also pointed out that the national problem cannot be solved in isolation as it is interlinked with other factors, and that it must be addressed as a single problem to find a solution.

The National Peoples Power further expressed its gratitude to the Heads of Missions for the interest of the international community in this matter. (Newswire)

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Leader of the National Peoples’ Power (NPP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with foreign diplomats from six countries during a meeting at the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s (JVP) Head Office in Colombo yesterday (Mar 06).

The meeting took place with the Palestinian Ambassador Zuhair M.H. Dar Zaid, Turkish Ambassador R. Demet Sekercioglu, Bangladesh Ambassador Tareq M.D. Ariful Islam, Indonesian Ambassador Dewi Gustina Tobing, Indonesian Consulate General Heru Prayitno, Malaysian High Commissioner Badli Hisham Bin Adam, and the Acting Maldivian Ambassador Fathimath Ghina.

NPP Executive Committee members Bimal Ratnayake, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Dr. Rizwi Salley, and Muditha Nanayakkara represented the NPP at the discussion. 

During the discussion, the foreign diplomats were briefed on the NPP’s policies and various activities, while an intense discussion was also held on the current political and economic state of Sri Lanka.

The NPP had also expressed its keenness and readiness to work on mutually cooperative agreements with the foreign nations. (NewsWire)

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry on Wednesday (Aug. 16) briefed the Colombo-based diplomatic corps on current developments in Sri Lanka. 

According to the Foreign Ministry, Minister Sabry said the meeting was a continuation of regular briefings organized by the Ministry to share information on current developments in the country. 

The Minister outlined key developments including recent financial stabilization measures, steps taken towards economic recovery and growth, and legislative reforms including the adoption of the anti-corruption bill, the proposed truth-seeking mechanism and the proposed anti-terrorism bill. 

Minister Sabry highlighted the salient points of the President’s statement in Parliament earlier in August on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and also provided a summary of the progress made under the ongoing reconciliation endeavours and the work being carried out by the independent mechanisms.

Also addressing the meeting, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane outlined Sri Lanka’s ongoing participation in multilateral fora including Sri Lanka’s constructive engagement at the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), review of Sri Lanka’s Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with the United Nations including Sri Lanka’s participation in the upcoming 54th session of the Human Rights Council and in the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023. 

The Foreign Secretary also highlighted the upcoming Fifth Forum of Ministers of Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific which will be held in Colombo from 3 to 6 October 2023 and the upcoming IORA Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held on 11 October 2023 where Sri Lanka will assume the chairmanship of the organization from 2023-2025.

Presentations on the progress of domestic institutions were made by Chairperson of the Office for Reparations (OR) Dhara Wijayatilake, Chairperson of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Mahesh Katulanda, Director General of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) Deepthi Lamahewa, Director General of the Interim Secretariat of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Asanga Gunawansa, and the Director General of the Office for Overseas Sri Lankan Affairs  (OOSLA) V. Krishnamoorthy. 

Meanwhile, the Additional Secretary of the Presidential Secretariat Chandima Wickramasinghe provided an update on the implementation of Sri Lanka’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

High Commissioners and Ambassadors of the Diplomatic Missions and the United Nations based in Colombo participated. (NewsWire)

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A delegation, including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, has met twelve (12) Sri Lanka-based foreign diplomats for a special discussion in Colombo.

The discussion, held under the aegis of Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa, focused on several matters, especially the current state of Sri Lanka. 

The foreign diplomats engaged in the meeting were US Ambassador Julie Chung, Ambassador of the Netherlands Bonnie Horbach, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, New Zealand High Commissioner Michael Appleton, Australian High Commissioner Paul Wesley Stephens, French High Commissioner Jean Francois Pactet, Canadian High Commissioner  Eric Walsh, Acting British High Commissioner Lisa Whanstall, Romanian Ambassador Victor Chiujdea, Deputy Ambassador of Japan Katsuki Kotaro, Deputy Head of the Italian Embassy Dr. Francesco Perale, and the European Union’s International Relations Officer for Politics, Trade, and Economics Relations- Sri Lanka Anne Vaugier-Chatterjee.

The Sri Lankan delegation consisted of Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa, Samagi Jana Balawegaya MPs Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne, and other party leaders MPs Dullas Alahapperuma, Mano Ganesan, and Nalaka Godahewa. (NewsWire)

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has briefed the Colombo-based diplomatic corps on current developments in Sri Lanka. 

Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya, Chief of Staff to the President Sagala Ratnayaka and Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane participated in the meeting held yesterday (10).

Opening the meeting, the Minister thanked the international community for the support extended to Sri Lanka towards economic recovery and briefed on progress made in this regard. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, that the minister also requested countries to review their travel advisories to reflect the stability in the country which would further encourage tourist influx.

The Minister also highlighted initiatives taken by the government for reconciliation including the convening of the All-Party Conference by the President in December 2022 and January 2023 and the appointment of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reconciliation chaired by the President. He also briefed on the government’s position on the 13th Amendment and the proposed counter-terrorism legislation. He provided an update on ongoing efforts to set up a Truth and Reconciliation mechanism and thanked the Government of South Africa for facilitating a working visit in March to study the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka briefed on developments related to the government’s structural reform process in the context of IMF, World Bank and ADB programmes, and highlighted the measures taken, inter alia, towards debt sustainability, fiscal oversight, social protection for the vulnerable segments, good governance and addressing corruption.

Foreign Secretary Wijewardane outlined Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with the UN mechanisms including Sri Lanka’s recent participation in the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the 6th Periodic Review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). She added that Sri Lanka also submitted its 9th Periodic Report to the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in April 2022 and has started the consultation process among relevant stakeholders.

The Foreign Secretary also highlighted the government’s initiatives to proactively engage with Sri Lankans overseas including through the recently established Office for Overseas Sri Lankans Affairs.

Following the briefing members of the diplomatic corps engaged in a discussion on several pertinent issues, including investment promotion, reconciliation, good governance, and anti-corruption. They also thanked Minister Sabry for providing regular briefings to the diplomatic corps on relevant developments in Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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