His Excellency Lakshitha Pradeep Ratnayake, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the State of Kuwait, officially presented his Letter of Credence to His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait, at an official ceremony held at Bayan Palace in Kuwait City on 19th May 2025. The ceremony was followed by a cordial audience, in which two parties engaged in an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.
Conveying greetings from H.E. the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Ambassador Ratnayake extended the best wishes of the Government and people of Sri Lanka to His Highness the Amir and the Government of Kuwait. In response, His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah reciprocated with his warm wishes to the President of Sri Lanka and expressed the importance of having high ranking bilateral visits for strengthening the existing relations.
His Highness expressed deep satisfaction over the strong and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Kuwait and conveyed confidence that the bilateral ties would be further deepened and diversified during the tenure of Ambassador Dr. Ratnayake. He assured the full support and cooperation of the State of Kuwait for the Ambassador in discharging his duties.
Ambassador Ratnayake conveyed Sri Lanka's readiness to further enhance cooperation with Kuwait in multiple areas, including the deployment of skilled and professional Sri Lankan workforce to contribute towards Kuwait's ongoing national development and modernization initiatives. He also emphasized his intention to work especially for promoting Sri Lanka as a potential tourist and investment destination to Kuwaiti nationals.
His Highness was also well briefed about the health sector development of Sri Lanka and the high recognition of Sri Lankan doctors and other healthcare professionals worldwide. After hearing the Ambassador’s brief on the above high standard of Sri Lankan healthcare professionals, His Highness the Amir requested relevant authorities to make arrangements for strengthening healthcare cooperation with the relevant authorities of Sri Lanka.
Ambassador Lakshitha Ratnayake is a senior career diplomat with almost 27 years of service in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service. Prior to his appointment to the State of Kuwait he was Director General for Middle East Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, & Tourism. He has accomplished key diplomatic postings in Germany, India, China, South Korea, and also served as the Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba. He earned his Ph.D in Political Science from California University in the United States and holds a B.A. (Hons.) and M.A. from the University of Colombo and the University of Peradeniya respectably. He is also the Author of Book "Foreign Policy and Commercial Diplomacy in the Economic Development of Sri Lanka “1948 - 2020"
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Kuwait
22 May 2025
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