The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federative Republic of Brazil, Sumith Dassanayake who is concurrently accredited to the Republic of Colombia, presented his Letters of Credence to the President of Colombia Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, at the ‘The Casa de Nariño’ (Presidential Palace) on Wednesday, 08 November 2023, in Bogota, Colombia.
The Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake conveyed greetings and best wishes of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government of Sri Lanka to President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, which was warmly reciprocated. The Ambassador Sumith Dassanyake appreciated the Colombian President for the efforts initiated to restore peace and stability in Colombia under his “Total Peace” project.
Prior to the Credential Ceremony, Ambassador Sumith Dassanyake called on the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia Francisco Coy and handed over the Open Copies of his Credential papers. During the meeting with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, the ambassador briefed on socio- political and economic developments being taken place in Sri Lanka and also the progress Sri Lanka has made towards addressing the concerns of minority communities. Both the vice-minister and the ambassador highlighted the importance of consolidating relations between Sri Lanka and Colombia in diverse fields.
Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake also held meetings with the senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. During the meeting with the Director General for Asia Division Nelsy Munar, the ambassador underlined the importance of expeditiously concluding the pending agreements between the two countries vis-a-vis Establishment of Political Consultations and Exemption for Visa for Diplomatic and Official Passport holders, for which the officials responded affirmatively.
At the meeting with the Director for United Nations and Human Rights, Ambassador Dassanayake underscored that both the countries have cooperated with each other at the international fora since establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1988 and discussed cooperation in UNESCO matters. The ambassador briefed on the efforts initiated by successive governments in Sri Lanka to address issues of minority communities and the Sri Lankan peace process facilitated by Norway.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Brazil
15 November 2023
