On 27th June 2019, High Commissioner Sashikala Premawardhane presented Letters of Credence to Her Excellency Madam Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore. The credentials ceremony took place at the Istana, the official residence and the office of the President of Singapore and included a Guard of Honour. The Guard of Honour was followed by the presentation of credentials and a courtesy call on the President of Singapore. Senior officials of the President’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore were associated with the meeting.
High Commissioner Premawardhane conveyed warm greetings from His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and spoke of her intension of further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries particularly in view of the significant milestone of 50 years of diplomatic relations which would be coming up in 2020.
High Commissioner Premawardhane briefed President Yacob on the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday attacks and highlighted that Sri Lanka had returned to normalcy and was safe for travellers. She stated that the two countries should explore further expansion of trade and investment ties between the two countries in the future.
While wishing the High Commissioner success in her new assignment as Sri Lanka’s envoy to Singapore, President Halimah Yacob warmly recalled two recent meetings that took with President Sirisena in 2019. Whilst inquiring about the post Easter Sunday situation in Sri Lanka President Yacob referred to the steps taken by Singapore to promote racial and inter-religious harmony. High Commissioner Premawardhane expressed keen interest in learning from those experiences.
Prior to being appointed as High Commissioner to Singapore, Sashikala Premawardhane served as Director General, Policy Planning and Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, a position she held from January 2019 onwards. She also served as the first Director General of Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change from March 2017 to January 2019. Her appointments in Colombo also include a secondment at the Ministry of Defence as Senior Assistant Secretary (Foreign Affairs). High Commissioner Sashikala Premawardhane joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998 and is a past pupil of Bishop’s College, Colombo.
