On 10 March 2020, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom Saroja Sirisena presented Letters of Credence to Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremonial event held at the Buckingham Palace.
High Commissioner Sirisena and her spouse, Dr. Sudath Talpahewa were escorted to the Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner Samantha Pathirana, Minister (Commercial) Dr. Lakimini Mendis, Minister Counsellor (Defence) Brigadier D.B.S.N. Bothota and Counsellor (Commonwealth & Political Affairs) N.L.A. Haleem, by traditional horse carriages of the Royal Mews.
High Commissioner Sirisena conveyed greetings from His Excellency President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Her Majesty The Queen. The discussion focused on deepening and intensifying the longstanding political, economic and cultural relations between Sri Lanka and the UK, and also with the Commonwealth. She also highlighted the importance of further exploring trade and investment opportunities between the two countries post Brexit. Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald was associated with the ceremony.
At the conclusion of the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, a reception was held at the High Commission for Members of the House of Lords and House of Commons, representatives of the UK Government, members of the diplomatic corps based in London and British-Sri Lankan community.
High Commissioner Sirisena joined Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998 and served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Vienna immediately prior to her appointment in London.
Her previous diplomatic posts include Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai; Minister, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva; Minister Counsellor, Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, and First Secretary, Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris.
High Commissioner Sirisena is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia and the École Nationale d'Administration in France. She is a past pupil of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.
