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

Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Prime Minister,
Honourable Leader of the Opposition,
Honourable Ministers, Honourable State Ministers,
Honorouble Members of Parliament,

I have this opportunity to address you as the Head of State of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka consequent to the historic victory granted to me by the people of this country on the 16th of November.

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The staff of the Sri Lanka High Commission in the United Kingdom ceremonially commenced work for the year 2020 with a special programme held at the High Commission premises on Wednesday 01 January 2020.

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The High Commission of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom held its annual Christmas Celebrations at the High Commission premises on Monday 16 December 2019 with multi-faith leaders, representation from the Church of England and the British Government, and the British Sri Lankan community of all faiths.  The Head of South Asia Department and India Policy Co-ordinator of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Fergus Auld attended the event as the Chief Guest.

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Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has said the operationalization of the recently developed ‘RevitalizedAfrica Policy’, seeks to enhance Sri Lanka’s cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres across Africa. Among the envisaged measures for closer engagement are the expansion of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic presence in Africa, stronger and mutually productive economic collaboration, revitalization of the historic people to people linksand close cooperation in multilateral fora and regional organizations. The policy document aims to optimize the strategic linkages through proximity to the Indian Ocean, centrality of Sri Lanka’s location, and cooperation through the 54 member-African Union (AU), where Sri Lanka received Observer Status in 2014.

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Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena this evening (18 December) received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis regarding the status of the Sri Lankan employee at the Swiss Embassy Ms. Garnier Banister Francis. She is presently in custody on reasonable suspicion of committing offenses under Sections 120 and 190 of the Penal Code, that could justify a criminal charge of disaffection towards the government, and fabricating false evidence for the purpose of being used in any stage of a judicial proceeding, in her alleged abduction claim.

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Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has called for the regaining of Sri Lanka’s economic prominence in Egypt to its traditional strength, consistent with the shared history, excellent bilateral political relations and the collaborative role the two countries play in the multilateral sphere.

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Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena requested the SAARC Member Countries to take concrete action to improve intra-trade in the region without compromising security concerns. He made this remark at an event to commemorate the 35^th SAARC Charter Day at the Taj Samudra Hotel on 10 December 2019, organised by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

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The Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Convention on Biological Weapons, which concluded its four day session in Geneva today unanimously endorsed Sri Lanka as the Chair of the Meeting of States Parties to be held in 2020.

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