The Sri Lanka Embassy in Ethiopia commemorated the 72nd anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence with a function held at the Sri Lanka Embassy.
Addressing the audience, Ambassador Sugeeshwara Gunaratna stated that Sri Lanka’s achievements since independence is attributable to the development of its human resources and the preservation of its democracy.
He noted that the record voter turnout at the Presidential election in November 2019 which elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka.
The Ambassador quoted from the national policy framework of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour and the Independence Day message of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. He said that Sri Lanka is now on to its next stage of development, nation-building, reconciliation and prosperity.
Recalling the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Sri Lanka in 1972, the Ambassador stated that Ethiopia and Sri Lanka had a shared vision of the world through their historic links in the non-aligned Movement and the anti-apartheid and decolonization struggles.
The Ambassador remarked the need to expand this relationship to trade and investment. He noted the five-fold increase in bilateral trade over the last five years and the investments by Sri Lankan garment manufacturers in the Hawassa Industrial Park. He further stated that the Sri Lankan diaspora community in Ethiopia has now grown to around six hundred.
While wishing the government and people of Sri Lanka for the 72nd anniversary of independence Permanent Secretary of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoA) Mahlet Hailu, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, commended the Government of Sri Lanka for the successful conclusion of the recent Presidential election. She congratulated the Ambassador on his recent assumption of duties and expressed her hope that bilateral relations would burgeon down the road.
The event was attended by a large gathering of Ethiopian government officials, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, officials of the African Union, and members of the Sri Lankan community and friends of Sri Lanka in Ethiopia.
The event commenced with the hoisting of the national flag by Ambassador Sugeeshwara Gunaratna followed by the playing of national anthems of Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. Two minutes silence was observed in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
The Ethiopian Herald February 16/2020
BY MEHARI BEYENE
