On May 20, 2019 Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia H.E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka attended the event dedicated to the of the National Hero of the Republic of Nicaragua, General Augusto Sandino, at the invitation of the Nicaraguan Ambassador H.E. Alba Azucena Torres Mejía.
General Augusto Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua. His exploits made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to United States' domination. Sandino's political legacy was claimed by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), which finally overthrew the Somoza dictatorship government in 1979.
H.E. Alba Azucena Torres Mejía thanked the gathering and referred to Ambassador Jayatilleka as a ‘brother and friend’. She spoke about the role of Gen. Sandino in the fight against imperialists and added that he is in the hearts of all the Nicaraguans. Ambassador Torres Mejía underlined that last February the round table dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Gen. Sandino death, and the exhibition displaying archived documents with the reference to his struggle for liberation, were held at the Russian State Library named after Lenin. Nicaraguan diplomats were pleasantly surprised to see Soviet posters from the collection of the library showing the solidarity of Soviet people with the Nicaraguan fighters for freedom. On April 26, MGIMO hosted the exposition devoted to the leader of the national-liberation war, Gen. Sandino.
H.E. Aleksey Labetsky, Deputy Director of the Latin America Department, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that Gen. Sandino has always being a symbol of struggle for liberty, equality and justice not only for Latin America but for Soviet Union (later Russia) and other countries.
At the end of the official part of the event Ambassador Jayatilleka laid flowers at the bust of Gen. Sandino.
