The embassy staff together with their families and well wishers took part in an overnight pirith chanting ceremony on New Year’s Eve and invoked blessings on all for the New Year 2010.
The embassy staff together with their families and well wishers took part in an overnight pirith chanting ceremony on New Year’s Eve and invoked blessings on all for the New Year 2010.
“Menace of terrorism is over; its time to intensify our economic engagement with Sri Lanka” said Ambassador Grace Asirwatham while addressing the members of the Netherlands – Sri Lanka Business Council in The Hague on 10th December.
The Embassy in The Hague celebrated Christmas with Carols on Saturday 19th December in keeping with the tradition to celebrate all major religious festivals at the Chancery premises.
The newly established Consulate of Sri Lanka in Chengdu together with Sri Lanka Tourism organized a country promotion workshop on 16th December 2009 at the Consulate premises. The workshop, the first ever of its kind organized by Sri Lanka in Sichuan province, was attended by over 60 representatives from local travel agencies, media and airlines.
The Embassy staff together with their families & friends, joined by safe-house inmates and the local Sri Lankan Christian & Catholic community celebrated Christmas at the Embassy on 26th December in a spirit of unity and harmony with the sounds of bells marking the festivities. The event, the first ever organized by the embassy Seva Vanitha Unit (Ladies Welfare Group) in Kuwait, held in a truly Christmas festive setting, amidst a traditional Christmas Tree, Christmas Choir, Santa Claus, Christmas gifts etc. among other attractions. The evening was put together in recognition of the beliefs and practices observed by multi religious/multi ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. There was a large gathering of invitees comprised of Sri Lankans belonging to all faiths, foreign guests, Kuwaitis, members of media, well-wishers etc.
The Government of Singapore provided training for twenty five senior level government officials from Sri Lanka on "Public Sector Leadership" from 26th October - 6th November 2009 in Singapore. The programme was initiated on the request of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore and co-ordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Service College of Singapore. Additional Secretaries, Departmental Heads and other senior officials representing twenty five public institutions from Sri Lanka took part in this programme.
A 08-member high-level media delegation from Sri Lanka representing the main stream print and electronic media visited Kuwait on the invitation of the Kuwaiti Government for the 30th GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Summit from 14th to 15th December 2009. The Sri Lankan media delegation is one of the largest media contingents of Asian Journalists invited for this historic summit hosted by Kuwait. The media journalists who have been embedded with over 350 foreign Journalists reported exclusively with an in-depth analysis on the 02-day summit proceedings which involved leaders of Gulf States i.e. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait at a crucial time for the Gulf region. The agenda items featured at the Gulf Council Summit included the common currency, food security, the situation in Palestine, Iraq and other regional issues. The media team also reported exclusively on the important role played by Kuwait within the GCC and beyond.