Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to Dr. Juan Carretero, Director of the Centro de Estudios sobre Asia y Oceania, for having given me this opportunity to address this gathering of dignitaries, academics, researchers, diplomats, and friends! I also wish to thank Dr. Eduardo Regalado, Deputy Director, and Ms. Claudia Gonzalez, Researcher, for their contribution and help.
As exclusively reported by the SRI TV news channel last week, the Embassy staff together with the members of the Seva Vanitha Unit have extended a generous donation of Rs. 100,000 towards helping a girl of 16 years in Gampaha to have a surgery for her hunchback (deformed back). The girl who was born with a curvature of the spine (hunchback) made an appearance recently over the “Live @ 7 – Praja Sathkaraya” programme which features “people with special disabilities & special needs”
The International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8th March 2010 by the Sri Lankan Embassy Seva Vanitha Unit (Women’s Association) with a programme dedicated to women. It is recalled that the Embassy Women’s Association celebrated this day for the first time on 8th March 2009.
Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in association with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vienna organized an Export Promotion Mission to the Central Europe covering Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic from 15th to 20th February 2010. The objective of the mission was to explore market opportunities for Sri Lankan exporters in emerging Central European countries and further strengthen trade relations with this region.
The Sri Lanka Embassy and Permanent Mission in Vienna held an official ceremony to celebrate the 62nd Independence Day of Sri Lanka on Thursday, 4th February 2010, morning at the Sri Lanka Mission for the Sri Lanka community in Vienna.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in association with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Austria, and representatives from ten (10) Sri Lankan Tourism and Travel companies took part at the “Ferien Messe-2010”, the International Fair for Holidays, Travel and Leisure in Vienna from 14-17 January 2010.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism is holding a week long promotion of Sri Lanka in Brussels this week, a programme intended to be replicated in other European capitals. Centered on Sri Lanka's participation as the host country at the BELASIA annual travel fair which projects over 25 Asian countries as a tourist destinations, it included tourism and travel promotion, a Sri Lanka Food festival, performances by a Sri Lankan dance troupe and Sri Lankan lace, masks, handicrafts and gem displays.
