The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ethiopia celebrated the 71st Anniversary of National Day of Sri Lanka with the Addis Ababa based Diplomats, senior officials of the Ethiopian Government and the African Union Commission, Ethiopian entrepreneurs and members of the Sri Lankan community, at the Sri Lanka House.
The official ceremony commenced with the hoisting of the national flag by Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake followed by singing of national anthems of Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, observing two minutes of silence in remembrance of national heroes and lighting of traditional oil lamp by the invited guests. The National Day messages of the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs were read out in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake outlined the significant achievements of Sri Lanka since independence and requested the Diplomatic Corps and other foreign guests to make use of the opportunities available in Sri Lanka in the fields of trade, tourism and foreign investment etc.
The Ambassador also acknowledged the positive contributions made by the Sri Lankan expatriate community in Ethiopia and Africa for economic development in Sri Lanka. He also requested them to contribute further and find more employment opportunities for Sri Lankan youths in the African continent.
At the end, a short video featuring Sri Lanka’s tourist and cultural attractions was screened to the audience.
