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)

The post Six newly appointed diplomats present credentials to President AKD appeared first on Newswire.

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday (27 Jan), where he was warmly received at the Katunayake Airport by Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security R.M. Jayawardena.

Haroon Akhtar Khan is visiting Sri Lanka to participate in the 13th session of the Pakistan–Sri Lanka Joint Economic Commission (JEC) and the 8th Secretary-level talks scheduled for today (28 Jan).

The event is organized by the Department of Commerce under the purview of the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development.

Upon his arrival at the Katunayake Airport, Haroon Akhtar Khan held a cordial discussion with Deputy Minister Jayawardena. 

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister noted that Sri Lanka is achieving economic stability free from fraud and corruption.

Haroon Akhtar Khan stated that the official visit is expected to further strengthen the economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Deputy Minister Jayawardena also emphasized that the government hopes to enhance not only economic ties but also social and cultural cooperation between the two countries. (Newswire)

The post Pakistan PM’s special envoy arrives in Sri Lanka for economic talks appeared first on Newswire.

US Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs and the Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, Sergio Gor, has contacted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which has left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

During a telephone conversation, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake thanked the United States for its continued support following Cyclone Ditwah. 

“Special Envoy Sergio Gor spoke this morning with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who thanked the United States for its continued support following cyclone Ditwah, which killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands displaced. The United States continues to monitor the situation closely and expresses its deepest condolences to those families who have lost loved ones,” the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US Department of State said in a post on ‘X’. (Newswire)

The post Cyclone Ditwah : US Special Envoy speaks to President AKD appeared first on Newswire.

Five new envoys have presented their credentials to President Anura Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.

Three Ambassadors and two High Commissioners presented their Letters of Credence to the President this morning (13). 

The envoys who presented their credentials are:

1. Ms. Isabelle Marie Catherine Martin, High Commissioner of Canada, based in Colombo.
2. Mr. Wiebe Jakob De Boer, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, based in Colombo.
3. Mr. Matthew John Duckworth, High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia, based in Colombo.
4. Mr. Abdenor Khelifi, Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, based in New Delhi.
5. Mr. Benedikt Höskuldsson, Ambassador of the Republic of Iceland, based in New Delhi.

During the ceremony, President Dissanayake welcomed the newly accredited envoys and extended his best wishes for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and their respective countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath and Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, were also present at the occasion. (Newswire)

The post Five new envoys present credentials to President AKD appeared first on Newswire.

If India, Russia and China had a consensus on the situation in Afghanistan, then the Taliban would face a lot of regional pressure, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay has said.

In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, the envoy — appointed by the former Ashraf Ghani government in 2020 — called on regional players like India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran to be “unified” on Afghanistan. He added that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval’s expected visit to Moscow this month to hold a regional dialogue on Afghanistan is a step in the right direction.

“The region also has a responsibility. Sadly, that’s not happening. We have important, powerful countries in the region including India, China, Russia as well as Pakistan and Iran. They need to be unified,” said Mamundzay.

“If we had Russia, China and India on the same page, there is a lot of regional pressure that the Taliban would face. That is not the case today but the visit of the NSA to Moscow is in the right direction,” added the envoy.

This month, top security officials of India, Pakistan, China and central Asian countries are expected to meet in Moscow for a regional discussion on Afghanistan.

Last May, multilateral consultations on Afghanistan between top security officials were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Afghan ambassador expressed optimism about India’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), adding that the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group established in 2005 is the type of “intensive engagement” needed at this time. He further warned that there are terror groups in Afghanistan protected and supported by Taliban who have “regional and international ambitions”. 

On 16 September last year, India took over the rotating presidency of the eight-member SCO, comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. (The Print)

The post If India, Russia & China were on same page, Taliban would face lot of pressure: Afghan envoy appeared first on Newswire.