Sri
Lanka traditionally follows a nonaligned foreign policy
but has been seeking closer relations with the United
States since December 2001. It participates in multilateral
diplomacy, particularly at the United Nations, where
it seeks to promote sovereignty, independence, and
development in the developing world. Sri Lanka was
a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
It also is a member of the Commonwealth, the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian
Development Bank, and the Colombo Plan. Sri Lanka
continues its active participation in the NAM, while
also stressing the importance it places on regionalism
by playing a strong role in SAARC.
 |
The
United States enjoys cordial relations with Sri Lanka
that are based, in large part, on shared democratic
traditions. U.S. policy toward Sri Lanka is characterized
by respect for its independence, sovereignty, and
moderate nonaligned foreign policy; support for the
country's unity, territorial integrity, and democratic
institutions; and encouragement of its social and
economic development. The United States is a strong
supporter of ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka and
the peace process that began in December 2001.
U.S. assistance has totaled more than $1.63 billion
since Sri Lanka's independence in 1948. Through the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), it
has contributed to Sri Lanka's economic growth with
projects designed to reduce unemployment, improve housing,
develop the Colombo Stock Exchange, modernize the judicial
system, and improve competitiveness.
At
the June 2003 Tokyo Donors' Conference on Sri Lanka,
the United States pledged $54 million, including $40.4
million of USAID funding.
In
addition, the International Broadcast Bureau (IBB)--formerly
Voice of America (VOA)--operates a radio-transmitting
station in Sri Lanka. The U.S. Armed Forces maintain
a limited military-to-military relationship with the
Sri Lanka defense establishment.
The
Government of Sri Lanka recognised Armenia on 12 February
1992. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in the Russian
Federation is concurrently accredited to Armenia.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Armenia
were established on 7 June 1999, when the first Sri
Lankan Ambassador to Armenia presented his credentials
as non-resident Ambassador. The first Armenian Ambassador
to Sri Lanka, Mr. Armen Baibourtian, who is based
in New Delhi, presented his Credentials to H. E. the
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on 22
February 2002.
The two most important factors in Sri Lanka's foreign
relations since 1948 have been a commitment in principle
to nonalignment and the necessity of preserving satisfactory
relations with India without sacrificing independence.
India had almost fifty times Sri Lanka's land area
and population and forty times its gross national
product in the late 1980s. Its point of view could
not be ignored, but neither the country's political
leaders nor the person in the street (especially if
he or she were Sinhalese) wanted the island to become
an appendage to India's regional power ambitions.
The July 29, 1987, Indo-Sri Lankan Accord and the
involvement of a large number of Indian troops in
the northeast, however, seemed to many if not most
Sri Lankans to be an unacceptable compromise of national
independence.
Sri Lanka's first prime minister, Don Stephen Senanayake,
had committed the country to a "middle path"
of nonalignment to avoid entanglement in superpower
rivalries. But nonalignment has had its modulations
in the decades since independence. UNP governments
were generally friendlier to the West than those formed
by the left-leaning SLFP. Sirimavo Bandaranaike deeply
distrusted Washington's intentions and cultivated
close and friendly relations with China in the early
1960s, a time when that country was vocally committed
to the worldwide export of "wars of national
liberation."
Jayewardene gave Sri Lanka's foreign policy a decidedly
Western orientation after he came to power in July
1977. This change was motivated largely by the desire
to secure aid and investment in order to promote his
government's economic liberalization program. At the
same time, Sri Lanka shared with Western nations apprehensions
concerning India's apparent determination to make
the Indian Ocean region an Indian sphere of influence
and its preservation of close ties with Moscow.
Although the 1972 constitution declared the nation
a republic and ended its dominion status within the
Commonwealth of Nations, Sri Lanka, like India, remained
a Commonwealth member in the later 1980s. The country
also belonged, like other South Asian states, to the
seven-member South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC), a group formed in the early 1980s
to deliberate on regional problems.
SAARC provided a context in which South Asian states
other than India could discuss the Sri Lankan ethnic
issue. But few observers regarded SAARC's role in
any resolution of the crisis as anything more than
peripheral. Some observers interpreted Sri Lanka's
unsuccessful bid in 1982 to gain membership in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as
an attempt to put a little comfortable distance between
itself and India. The application was rejected, ostensibly
on geographic grounds.
Relations
with Western States |
Ties with the United States in the late 1980s were
based on a common democratic tradition, a mutual appreciation
of the virtues of economic liberalization and market-oriented
reforms, United States participation in major development
projects such as the Accelerated Mahaweli Ganga Program,
and seemingly convergent security interests in the
Indian Ocean. The existence of a Voice of America
relay facility on the island, used to transmit broadcasts
within the South Asia region, was part of WashingtonColombo
ties.
Large
numbers of educated Sri Lankans, both Sinhalese and
Tamil, lived in the United States, Britain, and Western
Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. Overseas Tamils
played a role in publicizing the plight of their countrymen
in host country media and provided the militant movement
with some financial support.
An increasing number of Western countries expressed
criticism of human rights violations by the government.
For example, Norway halted all aid to Sri Lankan government
bodies in June 1987 to protest abuses. The plight
of Tamil refugees was highlighted in August 1986 when
two lifeboats carrying 155 Sri Lankan Tamils were
rescued off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
It appeared that the Tamils had fled West Germany
after being denied refugee status by the Bonn government
and had been cast adrift from a West German-owned
freighter (the Canadian government gave them one-year
work permits and promised to consider applications
for refugee status). At the same time, the fund-raising
activities of many sympathizers in the West, including
refugees, were not entirely within legal bounds. In
January 1986, the Swiss government arrested seventy
Tamil refugees on charges of selling heroin.
The
Indo-Sri Lankan Accord and Foreign Relations |
In an exchange of executive letters coinciding with
the July 29, 1987, accord, President Jayewardene gave
assurances to Gandhi that the port of Trincomalee
would not be used by foreign powers, including the
United States, and that agreements with the United
States to upgrade the Voice of America facility and
with Israel and Pakistan to provide military security
would be reconsidered.
Indications in early 1988 were that although New
Delhi wanted to avoid accusations that it was turning
a formerly independent country into a client state,
India was determined to prevent Sri Lanka from developing
closer ties with unfriendly or potentially unfriendly
foreign powers, such as Pakistan, Israel, and the
United States. The India Today correspondent quoted
a senior Indian military officer as asserting that
"Pakistan's military involvement in Sri Lanka
ended on July 29, 1987." But other observers
wondered whether India, by cutting the Gordian knot
of the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis and hoping at the
same time to thwart Pakistan's ambitions, was finally
exercising its full potential as one of the world's
major nations or was being drawn into a military nightmare
that would bring costs in men and money but few rewards.
Foreign Military Relations |
Sri Lanka's oldest and most enduring military relationship
has been with Britain. As a British colony, the island
was garrisoned with British troops and, following
independence, its own indigenous armed forces were
organized, trained, armed, and led by British military
personnel. Under a mutual defense arrangement dating
from 1947, the two nations have agreed to give each
other "such military assistance for the security
of their territories for defense against external
aggression and for the protection of essential communications
as it may be in their mutual interests to provide."
The vague wording of this treaty has allowed it
to survive a number of political swings in Sri Lanka's
domestic arena, and it remained in force in 1988.
Even after the government of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike
withdrew island base rights from British forces in
1957, the British continued to be a major supplier
of military hardware. Although the British government
has denied any direct involvement, for a time former
British Special Air Service personnel under the auspices
of the private firm of Keeny Meeny Services were instrumental
in training Sri Lankan troops in counterterrorist
and counterinsurgency techniques. After the anti-Tamil
riots of 1983 and as the ethnic insurgency increased
in the north, the government turned to a variety of
foreign nations to assist in its counterinsurgency
campaign.
In May 1984, at considerable cost to its standing
among Third World nations, the government arranged
for the establishment of an Israeli special interest
section in Colombo. Operating out of the United States
embassy, agents from Shin Bet, the Israeli counterespionage
and internal security organization, trained members
of the Sri Lankan Special Task Force and other groups
in intelligence gathering and internal security techniques.
Other nations that have reportedly provided training
include Australia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and
the United States. Unconfirmed press reports suggest
that a number of foreign advisers, including Englishmen,
Pakistanis, and South Africans, have actually taken
part in combat operations against the Tamil insurgents.
In April 1986, the Indian press announced that a
Pakistani Air Force officer had been killed in an
airplane crash shortly after participating in an air
assault in Northern Province. Military relations between
Sri Lanka and India underwent a major change in mid-1987.
For almost ten years, the Tamil insurgency in Northern
and Eastern provinces had been a major source of friction
between the two nations because India provided shelter,
training, and weapons to the insurgent groups. The
Sri Lankan insurgents found abundant sympathy and
support for their cause within the Tamil-dominated
Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and Madras served as the
headquarters from which they regularly issued condemnations
of the government.
Beginning in May 1987, the Indian government changed
its official role from that of intermediary to active
participant as it sought to abate the turmoil in the
island and bring together the Tamil separatists and
the Sri Lankan government. Although the resulting
Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, which was signed in July 1987,
offered an equitable formula for restoring peace to
the troubled nation, a subsequent exchange of executive
letters accorded to India a substantial voice in Sri
Lankan military affairs.
In particular, Sri Lanka acceded to three major concessions.
First, it agreed to consult New Delhi on the employment
of all foreign military and intelligence personnel
in Sri Lanka "with a view to insuring that such
presences will not prejudice Indo-Sri Lankan relations."
Second, it guaranteed that no Sri Lankan ports would
be made available "for military use by any country
in a manner prejudicial to India's interests."
Third, Sri Lanka agreed to review its contracts with
foreign broadcasting organizations to insure that
none of their facilities in Sri Lanka would be used
for military or intelligence purposes.
This latter concession was specifically aimed at
Voice of America broadcasting operations on the island.
In return, New Delhi agreed to deport all Sri Lankan
terrorists and insurgents operating on Indian soil
and to provide military training and supplies to the
Sri Lankan armed forces. Press reports in early 1988
suggested that Sri Lanka was prepared to expand and
formalize its military relationship with India through
a treaty of friendship and cooperation similar to
that linking India with the Soviet Union.
Sri Lanka established formal diplomatic relations
with Austria on 22 February 1972 and the Sri Lankan
Ambassador in Bonn was concurrently accredited to
Austria, while Austria concurrently accredited its
Ambassador in New Delhi to Sri Lanka. The first Austrian
Ambassador to Sri Lanka presented her credentials
to the President of Sri Lanka on 31 August 1972 and
the first Sri Lankan Ambassador to Austria presented
his credentials to the President of Austria on 10
November 1972.
Sri Lanka opened a resident mission in Vienna on
01 February 1995 with a Charge d' Affaires and the
first resident Ambassador was appointed on 23 July
1997.
Austria has appointed an Honorary Consul in Colombo.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Belgium
were established in 1955 and the Sri Lanka Embassy
in Brussels was set up in July 1973. The Embassy in
Brussels acts in a multilateral capacity when it deals
with relations with the fifteen members EU. In 1979,
the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi established an office
in Colombo, headed by a Charge d’ Affaires,
which was subsequently closed down in 1986.
Sri Lanka has appointed in an Honorary Consuls in
Antwerp in Belgium while Belgium has appointed an
Honorary Consul in Colombo.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Bulgaria
were established in 1962. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador
in Vienna is concurrently accredited to Bulgaria while
the Bulgarian Embassy in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka recognized Croatia on 27 May 1992 and
diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Croatia
were established on 10 February 1997. The first Croatian
Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr Zoran Andric, who is resident
in New Delhi, presented his credentials to President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on 6 April 2001.
Mr Anil Moonesinghe, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador
in Austria, presented his credentials to the Croatian
President on 14 March 2002 as the first Sri Lankan
Ambassador to Croatia. Both countries have also appointed
their Honorary Consuls in the respective capitals.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Italy is concurrently
accredited to Cyprus. The High Commissioner of Cyprus
in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has appointed Honorary Consuls in Nicosia
and Limmasol. Cyprus has an Honorary Consul General
in Colombo.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Czechoslovakia
were established in September 1957. Consequent to
the division of Czechoslovakia, Sri Lanka extended
recognition to both successor states of the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic in February 1993.
The Ambassador of the Czech Republic in New Delhi
is concurrently accredited to Colombo and Sri Lanka’s
Ambassador in Vienna is concurrently accredited to
Prague. The Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic
was inaugurated in Colombo in December 1996.
Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with
Denmark on the 5 January 1953. Sri Lankan Ambassador
in Sweden is concurrently accredited to Denmark. The
first Ambassador to be concurrently accredited was
Mr. R.C.S. Koelmeyer on the 24 of May 1971.
The Danish Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Sri Lanka. Both countries have Honorary
Consuls in their capitals.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Finland
were established on 24 September 1954 and Sri Lanka’s
Ambassador in Stockholm is concurrently accredited
to Finland and the Finnish Ambassador in New Delhi
is accredited to Sri Lanka. The Finnish Embassy at
the level of Charge d’ Affaires in Colombo was
closed on 1July 1995. Both countries maintain Honorary
Consulates in each other’s capitals.
The political relationship between France and Sri
Lanka date back to the seventeenth century. A French
fleet is reported to have landed in the Kottiyar Bay
near Trincomalee in March 1672 and an envoy, Sieur
Boisfontaine, has met King Rajasinghe II at the Kandyan
Court. History also records of the exchange of several
diplomatic missions as well as negotiations for a
treaty between King Rajasinghe and Captain Beauregard
from France.
France was one of the first Western countries to
establish diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka which
took place on 27 October 1948. A resident Sri Lankan
Mission, which initially functioned as a Legation
was set up in Paris in 1956.
Until 1941 French interests in Sri Lanka were represented
by a Consul General resident in Colombo, and thereafter
French Consular affairs were taken over and carried
out by the American Consulate until 1942. The French
Consulate was reopened in 1945. In 1948, it was raised
to a Legation, which in turn was upgraded to an Embassy
in 1958.
Sri Lanka - German relations could be traced to
the arrival of the Europeans to Sri Lanka. The earliest
recorded visits of Germans to Sri Lanka date back
to the 17 century. They served in the Dutch forces
and some of them wrote vital accounts of life in Sri
Lanka during the Dutch period. These travellers were
followed by renowned scholars such as Ernst Haeckel,
Wilhelm Geiger, Dr Paul Dahlke and Herman Hesse. Geiger
helped in re-discovering the Sinhala language while
Dr Dahlke did yeoman service for Buddhism. His home
in Frohnau in Berlin, now called Buddhistisches Haus,
stands as a monument binding Sri Lanka and the Federal
Republic of Germany.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Federal
Republic of Germany were established in 1953 and the
German Legation in Colombo was opened on 3 December
1953. The Legation in Colombo was later raised to
the level of an Embassy on 9 December 1958 with Dr.T.M.Auer
serving as first German Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka established her legation in Bonn on the
29 November 1955 with Mr.S.P.Wickremasinghe as its
Head in the capacity of Charge d' Affaires. Later
in 1958 Sri Lanka raised the status of representation
to the level of an Embassy.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the German
Government decided to make Berlin the capital of unified
Germany. Therefore, the Sri Lanka Government shifted
the Embassy on 20 October 1999 while retaining the
former Embassy premises in Bonn as a Consulate General.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Greece
were established in 1957 and the Greek Ambassador
in New Delhi was concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka
in 1958. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Rome is concurrently
accredited to Greece.
Although Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka
and the Holy See at Ambassador level were established
on 15 February 1976, the Holy See had an apostolic
legation, with a resident office in Sri Lanka since
1949. Until 1976, relations between Sri Lanka and
Holy See were looked after by the Sri Lankan Mission
in Rome, after the establishment of formal Diplomatic
Relations, our Ambassador in Paris was concurrently
accredited to the Holy See.
Prof. Ediriweera Sarathchandra was Sri Lanka's first
Ambassador to the Holy See. Archbishop Carlo. Curris
was the first Apostolic - Pronuncio to Sri Lanka who
presented credentials on 5 May 1976. Since 1989, Sri
Lanka's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva
has concurrently served as Ambassador to the Holy
See.
Sri Lanka’s diplomatic relations with Hungary
were established on 15 February 1959 and the Sri Lankan
Ambassador in Moscow was accredited to Budapest. The
Sri Lankan Resident Mission in Budapest, which was
inaugurated in 1992, was closed down in January 1995.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Vienna currently covers
Hungary. The Embassy of Hungary in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Colombo.
There are Honourary Consuls serving the interest
of the two countries.
Diplomatic relations between Ireland and Sri Lanka
were established on 15 February 1996 and concurrent
accreditation was formalized when the Sri Lanka High
Commissioner in the United Kingdom presented credentials
to the President of Ireland in January 1997. An Honorary
Consul of Sri Lanka was appointed as in the Republic
of Ireland in 1998.
The Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Sri Lanka.
Recorded history speaks emissaries between Sri Lanka
and Rome were exchanged in the 1st century. (Circa
50 A.D.) According to historian pliny, there were
four members from Sri Lanka who visited the Court
of Claudius Caesar. Another delegation from Sri Lanka
arrived in Rome during the time of Emperor Julian
(Circa A.D. 375). This was during the reign of King
Mahanama of Sri Lanka. There have been political and
trade links between the two countries, dating back
to several centuries.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Italy was established in
1952. Both countries are maintaining missions headed
by a resident Ambassador in each other’s capitals.
A Bilateral Air Services Agreement was signed in 1959.
Until recently, Sri Lanka Air Lines maintained regular
flights to Rome. An Investment Protection Agreement
and an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation was
concluded in 1990.
There is an emerging factor in the relations between
the two countries, which is represented by the Sri
Lankan community legally resident in Italy. There
are approximately 40,000 legal expatriates from Sri
Lanka in Italy.
Dutch interest in Sri Lanka arose in the 17 century
primarily due to its importance as a major spice producer.
In 1602 Joris Van Spilbergen set foot on the shores
of eastern Sri Lanka, south of Batticoloa and was
received by the King of Kandy. Spilbergen had enthusiastically
described his meeting with the King in his Travel
Journal and took many of his experiences in Sri Lanka
to the Netherlands, which fitted well into the objectives
of the merchants in the Netherlands. The merchants
catered and established the "the world's first
multinational" trade organization, the VOC.
After the signing of a formal treaty between the
King and the VOC in 1638, the Dutch captured Batticaloa
and Trincomalee. Dutch rule of the island (except
in the Kandyan Kingdom) lasted until 1796. Dutch legacy
in Sri Lanka is present even today, after 200 years
of their colonial rule.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands
were established on 23 November 1951. Sri Lanka had
a resident Charge d’ Affaires in The Hague until
1963. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Bonn was concurrently
accredited to The Hague from that year. This function
was transferred to the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels
in 1978. In 1993, a Sri Lanka Mission was established
in the Netherlands. The Netherlands had established
Consulates at Galle and Colombo in the past, which
were subsequently closed in 1899 and 1953 respectively.
The Netherlands Embassy that was subsequently opened
in Colombo was closed in 1972 and reopened in 1977.
Diplomatic relations between Norway and Sri Lanka
were established on 13 October 1950. Since 1971, Sri
Lanka's Ambassador to Sweden has been concurrently
accredited to Norway. Sri Lanka opened a Consulate
General in Oslo on 1 December 1999.
In 1977, Norway opened the NORAD Office in Colombo,
in recognition of the importance as a development
co-operation partner. The Royal Norwegian Embassy
in Colombo was opened in 1993. H E Mr Jon Westborg
who was appointed in 1996 is the first resident Ambassador
of Norway to Sri Lanka.
The year 2000 marked the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic
relations between Norway and Sri Lanka. A series of
cultural events were held in both countries during
October 2000 to commemorate this historic occasion.
Former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar’s
first official visit on 15 – 17 October 2000
to Norway coincided with the cultural programme arranged
in Oslo to celebrate this event.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Poland
were established in the late fifties. The Sri Lanka
Embassy in Moscow was concurrently accredited to Poland.
Subsequently the concurrent accreditation was changed
to Bonn. A resident Mission was opened in Warsaw in
2000. The diplomatic mission established by Poland
at charge d’ Affaires level in Colombo was closed
down in 1989. At present the Embassy of Poland in
New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka.
Poland has appointed an honorary Consul in Colombo.
Relations between Sri Lanka and Portugal date back
to the early 16 century when Portuguese General Don
Lorenzo de Almeida, son of the Portuguese viceroy
in India, was sailing off the southwestern coast of
Ceylon when stormy weather forced his fleet to dock
at Galle in 1505 and proceeded to Colombo along the
coast. King Parakramabahu VIII of Kotte (1484-1508)
offered gifts of cinnamon and elephants to the Portuguese
to take back to their home port at Cochin on the Malabar
Coast of southwestern India. The King also gave the
Portuguese permission to build a residence in Colombo
for trade purposes and in 1506 the Portuguese built
a fort near Colombo.
In 1554 Pedro Lopes De Sousa was appointed the Captain
General of Ceylon. He was succeeded by Jeronimo De
Azevedo. The Portuguese continued to control the coastal
provinces for a century and a half until they were
overpowered by the Dutch in 1658.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Portugal
were established in 1951 and the year 2001 marked
the 50 anniversary of establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two countries. The Portuguese
Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently accredited
to Sri Lanka while Sri Lanka Ambassador in Brussels
is concurrently accredited to Portugal.
Both countries have appointed Honorary Consuls in
each other’s capitals.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Romania
were established on 15 September 1957. Relations were
initially maintained at Legation level then raised
to Ambassadorial level in 1967. Romania opened a Commercial
Office in Colombo in 1963. This was upgraded to an
Embassy in 1976 with a Charge d' Affaires. The Romanian
Mission in Colombo was closed in 1995 but re-opened
as a Commercial Office in 1998. The Romanian Ambassador
in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Mission in Moscow was concurrently
accredited to Romania and later the accreditation
was transferred to Belgrade. After the closing down
of the Sri Lanka Mission in Belgrade, the accreditation
was transferred to Italy. At present the Sri Lanka
Embassy in Poland is concurrently accredited to Romania.
Romania upgraded its Commercial Office in Colombo
to an Embassy in February 2002 headed by a Charge
d’ Affaires.
Sri
Lanka-Russian Federation |
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the USSR
were established on 19 February 1957 and the Sri Lanka
Embassy in Moscow was set up on 16 May in the same
year. Sri Lanka recognized the Russian Federation
as the successor state of the former USSR on 28 December
1991.
Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with
Czechoslovakia in September 1957. After the division
of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993 into the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic, Sri Lanka extended
recognition to both states in February 1993. Sri Lanka's
Ambassador in Vienna is concurrently accredited to
the Slovak Republic while Slovak Ambassador in New
Delhi is accredited to Sri Lanka.
Both countries have appointed their Honorary Consuls
in each other’s capitals.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Sweden
were established on 18 November 1949. In 1999, the
50 anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri
Lanka and Sweden was commemorated. The Sri Lanka Embassy
in Stockholm was established in August 1970. Mr. R
C S Koelmeyer was the first resident Sri Lankan Ambassador
and he presented credentials on 28 September 1970.
Over the years relations between the two countries
have developed into various fields. The development
co-operation was started in 1958. An Agreement on
Development Co-operation between the two countries
was signed in 1998. The Swedish development co-operation
is focussed on areas related to peace and democracy
and economic growth. The last few years had shown
a considerable increase in both trade and investments
between the two countries.
The Sri Lankan Airlines inaugurated direct flights
to Stockholm in November 1999 but these flights were
terminated after the attack on BIA in July 2001.
Sri Lanka established formal diplomatic relations
with Switzerland in 1953. Switzerland was one of the
first countries to recognize Sri Lanka in 1948 immediately
after gaining independence. In Sri Lanka, Switzerland
was represented by a Charge d' Affairs who was later
elevated to Ambassador status in 1963.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Berlin is concurrently
accredited to Switzerland. The Permanent Mission of
Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva is also the Consulate
General of Sri Lanka in Switzerland.
The Turkish Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Ambassador in
State of Israel is concurrently accredited to Turkey.
Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain in 1948.
The Sri Lanka High Commission in London was officially
opened on 22 October 1948. The Mission also services
the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
Sri Lanka formally recognized Ukraine on 12 February
1992. Diplomatic relations between the two countries
were formalized on 23 June 1998. Sri Lanka's Ambassador
in Russia is concurrently accredited to Ukraine and
the Ukrainian Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently
accredited to Sri Lanka. The Government of Ukraine
appointed an Honorary consul in Colombo in 2002.
Sri
Lanka-Middle East and Africa
division |
The Political Affairs Middle East and Africa covers
Sri Lanka’s relations with Countries in Middle
East and Africa in collaboration with the Sri Lanka
Missions in these countries
Major Functions of the Middle East and Africa Division
1. Monitoring Developments
The main objective of the Division is to monitor
the current situation in the countries concerned and
to provide detailed report with the observations and
assessment. These reports are submitted to the President,
Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
2. International Courtesies
The Division assists the Protocol Division in the
preparation of National Day Messages, Felicitation
and condolence messages It also acknowledges the messages
sent to the President, Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister by leaders of foreign countries.
3. Country Briefs
At the time of the presentation of the credentials
to the President by High Commissioners or Ambassadors
designated to Sri Lanka, the Middle East and Africa
Division prepares Country Briefs for the information
of the President. Country Brief is a concise report,
which includes the basic data of the relevant country
and an overview. The Division also prepares Special
reports and Speeches for the use of dignitaries, during
the visit of foreign dignitaries to Sri Lanka and
vise versa.
4. Other Functions of the Middle East and
Africa Division
The Middle East and Africa Division has other functions
such as advising Sri Lanka Missions abroad, other
Ministries, and Departments in Sri Lanka on matters
of Foreign Policy referred to the Division. It is
also charged with the responsibility of granting Visa
clearance for foreign nationals referred to it by
Sri Lanka Missions abroad. The Division coordinates
the provision of Scholarships granted to Sri Lanka
by Foreign Governments and Agencies.
In the field of foreign investment, preliminary discussions
were held with Australian Liquid Natural Gas (ALNG)
to promote investment in power generation in Sri Lanka.
These discussions were co-coordinated by the East
Division. Discussions were held with concerned authorities
on the draft text on the proposed Investment Promotion
and Protection Agreement between Sri Lanka and Australia.
The visit of H.E. Zhu Rongji,Premier of the People’s
Republic of China in May 2001 has marked another milestone
in the history of friendship between Sri Lanka and
China. Consequent to the visit, the Chinese side pledged
economic assistance.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Iraq visited Sri
Lanka in March 2001.Given the prevailing UN sanctions
on Iraq, Trade with Iraq is confined to export of
tea under the UN Oil for Food programme.
The Double Taxation Agreement between Sri Lanka and
Jordan has been completed.
Sri Lankan Ambassador had discussions with the Minister
of Labour in Lebanon matters with regard to the welfare
of the Sri Lankan expatriates in Lebanon.
In November 2001,a Sacred Buddha relic was taken
from Sri Lanka to be enshrined at the Marble Buddha
statue.
To enhance trade relations between Sri Lanka and
Oman, two agreements were submitted to the Omani authorities
for their observations.
Sri Lanka Mission has initiated action on formulation
of a Technical Co-operation programme.
Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana governments have
agreed for the establishment of diplomatic relations
with Sri Lanka.
Feasibility of establishing a Sri Lanka-Thailand
chamber of commerce was being examined in order to
provide an impetus to Thai-Sri Lanka business activities.
Sri Lanka Mission has implemented many programmes
to promote tourism and mobilizing expatriate Sri Lankan
community. Mr.Kumihiko Makita, Director of the Asia
and Oceanian Affairs Burrreau visited Sri Lanka on
January 2001.
A seminar on “Business Opportunities in Sri
Lanka” was organized by the High Commission
in May,2001.
