The newly appointed Ambassador of Sri Lanka to The Kingdom of the Netherlands Mr. A.M.J. Sadiq presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on 9th September 2015, following an impressive ceremony at the Palace grounds.
The Lord Chamberlain of the Palace escorted the Ambassador and three Embassy staff members from the Official Residence in two horse drawn carriages to the Royal Palace. Upon arrival at the Palace, the Ambassador was accorded a salute followed by the playing of the National Anthem of Sri Lanka by the military band. After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Ambassador was received inside the Palace by the Grand Master of the Royal Household, Ambassador Jan Versteeg.
Following the signing of the Visitors’ Book, Ambassador Sadiq was escorted to the Audience Room where he presented the Letter of Credence accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to The Kingdom of The Netherlands and the Letter of Recall of his predecessor to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander. Thereafter, the Ambassador introduced the three members of the Embassy Staff to His Majesty the King, who had a brief conversation with them, following which the King invited Ambassador Sadiq for a discussion at which the Grand Master of the Royal Household, Ambassador Versteeg, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms Renée Jones -Bos were present.
During the cordial discussion that ensued, Ambassador Sadiq briefed King Willem-Alexander on current developments in Sri Lanka, especially the situation in the country following the end of the armed conflict, as well as political developments following the presidential election in January 2015 and the general elections held last month.
The Ambassador acknowledged the continuing Dutch assistance given to rehabilitate Dutch heritage sites in Sri Lanka, under the auspices of the Royal Dutch Embassy. Ambassador Sadiq also drew the attention of King Willem-Alexander to the great potential that Sri Lanka holds for Dutch companies and entrepreneurs to do business in Sri Lanka, especially in relocating their export oriented manufacturing plants and service centers into Sri Lanka in order to gain duty free access to the vast and lucrative markets in the Indian sub-continent, via Sri Lanka’s FTAs with India and Pakistan.
The Ambassador also highlighted the great contribution the small but influential Dutch Burgher community has been making to Sri Lanka’s national development, while preserving and nurturing their Dutch heritage.
At the end of the meeting, His Majesty the King wished Ambassador Sadiq a successful tenure in The Netherlands.
Upon returning to the Official Residence, Ambassador Sadiq hosted a reception, attended by a number of important Dutch personalities, including three former Dutch Ambassadors to Sri Lanka as well as the Chief of Protocol, Deputy Chief of Protocol and the Senior Policy Officer of the Asia & Oceania Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Two prominent Sri Lankans Dr. Chris Pinto accompanied by his spouse and Sir Jayantha Kapuwatte also graced the occasion.
Ambassador Sadiq is a senior career diplomat, having joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1988 and had previously served as Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Saudi Arabia and Brazil. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colombo, and was awarded the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship in 2013 which enabled him to pursue a Master in Public Management degree at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and the John Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University USA. Last month he attended the 8th Leaders in Governance Programme in Singapore at the Civil Service College, on the invitation of the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
The Hague
12th September 2015.
