Embassy of Sri Lanka in Oman organized a simple ceremony to celebrate the 73rd Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka at the Embassy premises in Muscat on 4 February 2021, due to COVID 19 restrictions.
The event commenced with the hoisting of the National Flag by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, O.L Ameer Ajwad, followed by singing of the National Anthem. Two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. Community representatives joined the lighting of traditional oil lamp.
The Independence Day message of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa were read by Ambassador O.L Ameer Ajwad in Sinhala and Tamil languages respectively while the Independence Day message of Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was read by First Secretary Dilini Abeysekara in English.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad paid tribute to all Sri Lankans who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. Ambassador greeted the Sri Lankan community in Oman and extended his gratitude for their great support to the Embassy during the challenging times due to the COVID 19 outbreak. Ambassador highlighted the achievements of the Embassy last year, despite COVID 19 challenges as well the initiatives that are being taken this year to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka and Oman which falls on 17 February 2021.
Ambassador Ameer Ajwad invited all members of Sri Lankan community who live in the Sultanate of Oman to join hands by extending their cooperation to work towards the realization of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s vision for the peace and prosperity of Sri Lanka.
Ambassador also thanked the Arabic and English print media in Oman who had published his message to mark the 73rd Independence Day of Sri Lanka.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Muscat
05 February 2021
