Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake who is concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Chile with residence in Brazil presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the Republic of Chile Gabriel Boric at La Moneda Palace in Santiago on 28 March 2024. The Credential Ceremony in Santiago comprised a Guard of Honour for the new Ambassador, Presentation of the Letters of Credence followed by a discussion with the Chilean President who was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Dassanayake during his interaction with President Gabriel Boric, conveyed the latter greetings of the Government of Sri Lanka which was warmly reciprocated. President Boric acknowledged the message of condolences addressed to him by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the loss of life, injury and destruction caused due to wildfires that occurred in the Valparaiso region of Chile in February 2024.
Recalling the historical ties between Sri Lanka and Chile, which go back to 19th – 20th century and also the renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s tenure as the Consul General of Chile in Colombo from 1929-1930, Ambassador Dassanayake requested the Chilean President to revisit the policy on Sri Lanka’s Human Rights situation and requested for Chile's support to Sri Lanka at future United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva. The Chilean President assured the Ambassador to favorably consider Sri Lanka’s request.
In a context where the government of Chile is in the process of establishing a Commission on Disappearances, Ambassador Dassanayake explained to the Chilean President the progress and structure of Sri Lanka’s Office of Missing Persons. The Ambassador undertook to provide more details as the President expressed his keen interest in this regard.
Ambassador Dassanayake also held meetings with the senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile. During his meeting with the Head of Asia-Pacific Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Pablo Arriaran, the Sri Lankan envoy highlighted the importance of concluding the pending bilateral Agreements between the two countries the soonest. The Chilean side agreed to finalize the legal instruments at the earliest.
During the meeting with the Director, Human Rights Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Tomas Pascual, the Sri Lankan envoy briefed him on the measures that have been undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the concerns of the minority communities, especially the measures initiated to improve the Human Rights situation in the country. Ambassador Dasanayake urged him to take a shift from the previous government’s stance on Sri Lanka’s Human Rights situation at the multilateral fora and requested for support and cooperation of Chile to Sri Lanka at future UNHRC sessions in Geneva.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Brazil
03 April 2024
