High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom

Addressing the first International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation held virtually on 05 August 2021, Foreign Minister Gunawardena called for enhanced global efforts to forge closer cooperation between countries to enable the availability and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines to everyone in line with SDG 3 target to ensure access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

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The Programme on Decentralization of Consular Services within the purview of the Foreign Ministry is underway. Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage points out that this Programme is being conducted under the instructions and guidance of the Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, in accordance with the scheme by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to bring public services to the village. Secretary Colombage also points out that the three Regional Consular offices in Kandy, Trincomalee and Kurunegala districts have been dedicated to public service in the previous ten months under the present Government and that preliminary action has been taken to establish two other Regional offices in Badulla and Ampara districts before the end of this year.

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The video can be viewed through the following link.

https://youtu.be/RQp9Zda_FTE

The attention of this Ministry was drawn to a video circulating on social media of a pair of shoes, bearing the NIKE logo and LTTE insignia.

On inquiry, NIKE, Inc. confirmed that the shoes depicted in the video have not been manufactured by NIKE.

The NIKE, Inc. also informed that they would investigate to ascertain the abuse of intellectual property and conduct appropriate enforcement as per company practice.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

31 July, 2021

Between 30-50% of mangroves have been lost over the past 50 years. New approaches for the restoration of mangroves are emerging; benefiting from new, low-cost technologies and supporting the resilience of local communities through empowered engagement and innovative funding. As has been underlined by the recent X-Press Pearl disaster, off the coast of Sri Lanka, coastal mangrove ecosystems are vulnerable to a wide range of possible stressors, which requires reliable monitoring and response plans.

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Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open a Regional Consular Office of the Foreign Ministry in Kurunegala virtually on 27 July 2021. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Highways & Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando, Provincial Governor for North-Western Province Raja Kollure, State Minister for Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, and several other dignitaries joined the opening ceremony.

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The Government of New Zealand with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Mr. Michael Edward Appleton as the first High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka based in Colombo. He has presented credentials to H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka on 22 July 2021 at 10.30 a.m. at President’s House, Colombo 01.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

22 July, 2021

Hajj Message of President

 “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” 

Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, 15-16 July 2021

Your Excellency Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzebkistan,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to participate in this high-level forum dedicated to discussing the very relevant topic of connectivity between two important and dynamic regions in the world today: Central and South Asia.  I would like to commend His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, for organising this timely forum bringing together the views of diverse countries on one platform in spite of the challenges posed globally by the COVID-19 pandemic.  This is also an opportune moment to discuss connectivity, when Uzbekistan and the other Central Asian countries mark their third decade as independent nations this year.

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Joint Media Release

(The Foreign Ministry and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka launches the Submarine Cable Protection and Resilience Framework

On 15 July 2021, at a stakeholder meeting chaired by Secretary to the President Dr. P. B. Jayasundara launched the Submarine Cable Protection and Resilience Framework.

Sri Lanka is the first country in Asia to come up with such a Framework and it would have not been possible, if not for generous support of the Government of Japan through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Global Maritime Crimes Programme (GMCP).

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