It is with profound grief and sorrow that we learnt about the death of forty - five soldiers from Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates in Yemen while contributing to restore security and stability of the country.

It was indeed unfortunate that this news reached us soon after the visit of H. H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka. 

The Government and the people of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka express their heartfelt condolences to the Government and the people of the United Arab Emirates on this tragic incident. 

The Government of Sri Lanka hopes that peace and normalcy will be restored in the region as soon as possible. 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo 

9^th September 2015