State Minister Susil Premajayantha assumed duties as the State Minister of International Cooperation on 28 November 2019 and was received by Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha and other senior officials upon his arrival at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo.

Minister Premajayantha addressing the gathering of senior officials, staff and media at the Ministry, following the assumption of duties, stated that he takes over duties as the State Minister in charge of International Cooperation at a time when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government faces many challenges in addressing prevailing issues in the international sphere. The State Minister reiterated that Sri Lanka will maintain its non-aligned foreign policy and remain an independent and sovereign nation, which maintains friendly relations with all states, especially the regional states and close neighbours with whom Sri Lanka has upheld close and friendly ties over the years.

The State Minister highlighted that he is looking forward to working in close collaboration with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Secretary Aryasinha and the officials of the Ministry in achieving the foreign policy objectives of the country under the leadership of President Rajapaksa.

Ministry of Foreign Relations

Colombo

29 November 2019

The Government of Sri Lanka has taken serious note of the alleged criminal incident concerning a locally recruited staff member of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo, on Monday 25 November 2019.

 On being informed of the alleged incident yesterday, the Police has taken immediate action to commence an investigation into the matter.

 In order to enable the relevant authorities to conduct the investigation smoothly and according to established procedure, the fullest cooperation of the Embassy of Switzerland has been requested.

 Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany who is concurrently accredited to Switzerland, Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi will be meeting with the Swiss authorities to provide an update on the investigation, shortly.

 The Government of Sri Lanka takes this opportunity to reaffirm unequivocally its commitment to give effect to the obligations undertaken as a State Party to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), to facilitate the smooth functioning of diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka.

 Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

28 November 2019

Minister of Foreign Relations Dinesh Gunawardena assumed duties at the Foreign Ministry on Monday 25 November 2019.

Minister Gunawardena was received by Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha and other senior officials upon his arrival at the Ministry. Following religious observances, the Minister officially assumed duties.

Later, the Foreign Minister who addressed the staff, remarked that the Foreign Service is highly regarded. The Minister stressed that the entire country is looking towards the Foreign Ministry to find solutions for external pressures and challenges. Hence, it is necessary for the officers in the Ministry and the network of missions to work dedicatedly towards overcoming these challenges.  He also stated that President Rajapaksa's vision is for Sri Lanka to be safe and secure; leading the country towards a prosperous future. He further stated that in achieving these objectives, a single agency cannot work alone, but must work in unison with other institutions, and hence the role of the Foreign Ministry is vital in this aspect.

Commonwealth Secretary General Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland made a brief visit to a mangrove replanting site in Wadduwa in Koggala recently, in appreciation of the contribution Sri Lanka has made to improve its mangroves, which not only benefits Sri Lankans, but the world, in terms of increasing the carbon sequestration, which is 2 - 4 times more than tropical  forests.

Sri Lanka spearheads the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods (MELAG) under the Commonwealth Blue Charter, calling for fair, equitable, inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean economic development and protection. Accordingly, Sri Lanka hosted the first meeting of the MELAG in early October this year, activities of which included developing a database of mangrove ecosystems, sharing technical expertise on mangrove restoration, and strengthening community partnerships and legal frameworks. This Action Group is not limited to Commonwealth countries, but to other countries, private sector and Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and research community all interested in mangrove ecosystems and livelihoods.

The first meeting of MELAG brought together experts from 09 member countries including from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as government and academic experts, private sector involved in mangrove restoration and CBOs from Sri Lanka, which is considered as a pioneering model of engagement across Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups, covering areas such as Oceans and Climate Change, Sustainable Aquaculture, Restoration of Coral Reefs, Ocean Observations, Marine Protected Areas, Ocean Acidification, Blue Economy, Clean Ocean Alliance which addresses plastic pollution in the oceans.