Ambassador M. R. K. Lenagala presented Letters of Credence accrediting him as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to Austria to the Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna on 21 November 2023.
The presentation of credentials was followed by a courtesy call on the Federal President of Austria and an inspection of the Presidential Guard of Honour.
During the courtesy call, Ambassador Lenagala conveyed to the Austrian President Van der Bellen greetings and best wishes from President Ranil Wickremesinghe, which were warmly reciprocated. Avenues for further strengthening of bilateral relations were discussed particularly in view of the important milestone of 70th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024. Counsellor Charitha Weerasinghe of the Embassy was also present at the meeting.
Ambassador Lenagala is a career diplomat with over 25 years of experience. Prior to this appointment he served as Additional Secretary (Multilateral Affairs) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo. In his previous diplomatic assignments he has served at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York and as the Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka both in London and in New Delhi. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo he has served in several capacities at the Political Affairs West and the UN & Human Rights Divisions, the latter of which he has headed twice as the Director General. He has also served as Personal Assistant to four consecutive Ministers of Foreign Affairs. A past student of Ananda College Colombo, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of International Relations degree from the University of Colombo. He is an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Austria is concurrently accredited to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia and also serves as the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office and Other International Organisations in Vienna.
Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Vienna
23 November 2023
