Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, presented his credentials to Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde on 10 March 2020 at the National Palace.
The presentation of credentials was preceded by the singing of the national anthems of Sri Lanka and Ethiopia followed by the inspection of a military Guard of Honour.
Following the presentation of credentials, the Ambassador was received in audience by the President of Ethiopia. During the audience, Ambassador Sugeeshwara Gunaratna conveyed the warm greetings of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the intention of the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen bilateral relations with Ethiopia which has seen an ascending trend in the recent past, building upon the historical solidarity between the two countries in the non-aligned movement. Outlining the Sri Lankan investments in Ethiopia, amounting to around US$ 15 million in the Hawassa Industrial Park generating employment for about 3700 persons, Ambassador Sugeeshwara Gunaratna stated that it was now incumbent on both parties to strengthen trade and investment linkages in the future.
Ambassador Gunaratna stated his intention to work towards broadening existing bilateral linkages between the two countries as well as wider Africa given his dual role as the Permanent Representative to the African Union. The President of Ethiopia was also briefed by the Ambassador on the “Revitalized Africa Policy” which is expected to guide Sri Lanka’s future engagement with Africa.
The President of Ethiopia, while warmly welcoming the Ambassador, expressed her congratulations to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on being elected in November 2019. Noting that Sri Lanka and Ethiopia have had excellent cooperation in multilateral forums, the Ethiopian President stated that she was particularly pleased about the Sri Lankan investments in Hawassa and that Sri Lankan investments were helping to improve the livelihood of families and contributing to gender empowerment in the area. She recalled that she had met Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, when he was President, during her tenure as the Director General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, and expressed her warm regards to the Prime Minister. She stated that the Ethiopian government stands ready to work with the Sri Lankan government in strengthening bilateral relations.
The credential ceremony concluded with a book signing and a brief statement to the media by the Ambassador.
Ambassador Gunaratna joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in year 2000 and has served diplomatic assignments in London, New Delhi and Geneva. He is a graduate of the University of Colombo and Centennial College, Toronto, Canada. He is a past pupil of S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia.
