The celebrations of the 72nd Independence Day of Sri Lanka organized by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka to Dubai and Northern Emirates were ceremoniously held on 04 February 2020 at the Consulate General premises with a large gathering of Sri Lankan expatriates living in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
The ceremony was inaugurated by the Sri Lanka Consul General to Dubai and Northern Emirates, Nalinda Wijerathna by hoisting the National Flag followed by singing the National Anthem. The lighting of the traditional oil lamp was done by participants representing different Communities in Sri Lanka. The national day messages of the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka were read by the staff members of the Consulate General. Bestowing blessings upon people and the Government of Sri Lanka on this special day, Multi faith religious observances were conducted by respective clergies from Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Catholic religions.
In his address to the gathering, the Consul General highlighted that the mega development projects in Sri Lanka including Port City and constructions of expressways are now in their final stages to be completed. The Port City has completed land reclamation and now open for investors. The tourism industry is now back on progressive track and the number of tourist arrival to enjoy the best of offers by Sri Lanka is now increasing. Citing, the above developments, he further invited the Sri Lankan expatriate community in UAE to join hands to be part of Sri Lanka’s success story. Speaking further, the Consul General highlighted the friendly and cordial relationship between Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates which expands to an era well before the establishment of formal bilateral diplomatic relations in 1979, more than forty years ago.
During the event, the Consul General planted a Neem tree in the Consulate General premises following the Green Concept of the government.
Commemorating this special day the Consulate General, in collaboration with two leading newspapers in UAE; “Khaleej Times” and “Gulf News”, has made arrangements to publish two newspaper supplements in the respective papers, giving wide publicity on Sri Lanka’s tourism, trade and cultural values.
Members and officials of number of Sri Lankan Associations, journalists, Community leaders and a large number of Sri Lankan expatriates living in Dubai and Northern Emirates participated in this event.
The ceremony concluded with the serving of traditional Sri Lankan delicacies and refreshments to all the participants.
