Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

President Maithripala Sirisena arrived in New Delhi today. President Sirisena was received on arrival by the Indian Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka Esala Weerakoon, and senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, India.

Read more: Visit of His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka to India 13-14 May 2016

The Canada – Sri Lanka Friendship Group in the Canadian Parliament was formed on the 11^th of May. The election of office bearers was presided over by Deputy Speaker Hon. Anthony Rota. Pascale Massot, Policy Advisor to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stephane Dion, was also present. 30 members of Parliament and Senators joined as members. Yasmin Ratansi MP for Don Valley East, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party was elected Chairperson. 

Read more: Sri Lanka Friendship Group in the Canadian Parliament

In an effort to make it easier for the overseas Sri Lankan communities to fund micro-projects in rural communities in Sri Lanka, the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister’s Office is hosting a website to provide information on village-markets in need of essential infrastructure. This website can be accessed via http://villagefair.pmoffice.gov.lk and provides a mechanism to link those who want to help develop Sri Lanka directly with village markets in need of essential infrastructure, especially in rural communities around the island.

Currently, information on the village-fairs of ten Districts is available on the website. The needs of individual village-markets are listed. Village-markets that receive funds are obligated to follow up on the progress of each micro-project. Photographs of the completed micro-project will be uploaded to the website to maximize transparency.

Please find below detailed information on this initiative in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

For feedback, questions and/or additional information, prospective donors may contact the PDO at the following:

Website: http://villagefair.pmoffice.gov.lk

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/weeklyvillagefair

Feedback/contact:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Information in Sinhala

Information in Tamil

Information in English

The EU-Sri Lanka Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation met on 11 May 2016 in Brussels. The meeting, held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, was co-chaired by Mrs. Sonali Wijeratne, Director General of Commerce, for Sri Lanka and Mr. Peter Berz, Head of Unit, European Commission Directorate General for Trade, for the EU. 

Following the successful State Visit of President Maithripala Sirisena to Austria in February, 2016 and his meeting with business leaders, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber is sending a 20 member High Level Business Delegation to Colombo to explore prospects for investment and enhanced trade. The delegation will be in Colombo from the 11^th to 14^th May, 2016. 

Read more: High Level Austrian Business Delegation arriving in Colombo on 11th May, 2016

Sri Lanka was among the 171 countries that signed the Paris Agreement today (22) at the High- Level Signature Ceremony of the Paris Agreement held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  This high-level signature ceremony is the culmination of negotiations held amongst member states who agreed on the landmark climate deal during the 21^st Conference of Parties (COP21) held in Paris in December, last year.

Read more: SRI LANKA SIGNS THE PARIS AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallström will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 24-26 April 2016 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera.

Read more: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallström to visit Sri Lanka 24-26 April 2016