Minister of Foreign Affairs M.U.M. Ali Sabry made a special request to his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to allocate a suitable land in UAE to build an International Buddhist Temple for the benefit of the large number of Buddhist devotees currently living and working in the UAE.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry made this request when he met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, on Monday, 4 December 2023 on the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties (COP)- 28 Summit in Dubai.
During the meeting both dignitaries discussed several vital matters including the forthcoming visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE to Sri Lanka.
Establishment of an International Buddhist Temple in UAE, is a long awaited need not only for the large number of Sri Lankan Buddhists living and working in the UAE but also for other Buddhist communities in the UAE such as Indian, Nepali, Thai, Japanese, Myanmar and Bangladeshi, etc.
Stressing the need for a Buddhist temple in the U.A.E., Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka made this special request and stated that Sri Lanka would take the leadership to make this proposal on behalf of the entire global Buddhist community in UAE and instructed the Sri Lanka Embassy to work closely with other Embassies of Buddhist countries towards fulfilling this important proposal.
As a country with a forward-looking vision that promotes and reflects diversity and tolerance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of UAE welcomed the proposal and instructed the relevant UAE authorities to partner with the Sri Lankan side to fulfil this vision of building a Buddhist temple. Minister Sabry thanked his UAE counterpart for the leadership taken in promoting inclusivity and unity, setting a great example for the entire world, and instructed Ambassador of Sri Lanka in UAE Udaya Indrarathna to coordinate the project with all relevant authorities and stakeholders.
The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the UAE Udaya Indrarathna, Consul General of Sri Lanka to Dubai and Northern Emirates Alexi Gunasekare and Minister Counsellor of the Sri Lanka Embassy Medhavi Peiris from the Sri Lanka side and Minister of State (UAE) Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh from the UAE side.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Abu Dhabi
14 December 2023
