Fourteen newly appointed foreign diplomats presented their credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s House today. The group included five newly appointed High Commissioners and nine Ambassadors to Sri Lanka.

The brief ceremony, organized at the Presidential Palace, officially welcomed the diplomats, who will serve in various capacities in Sri Lanka and other locations.

The new Ambassadors include Mr. Omar Castañeda Solares (Guatemala), Mr. Ali Achoui (Algeria), Ms. Marje Luup (Estonia), Mr. Bounmy Vanmany (Laos), Mr. Victor Hugo Echeverri (Colombia), Mr. Semih Lütfü Turgut (Türkiye), Mr. Kevin Kelly (Ireland), Ms. Aliki Koutsomitopoulou (Greece), and Dr. Nikolay Yankov (Bulgaria).

The newly appointed High Commissioners are Mr. David Gregory Pine (New Zealand), Mr. Evagoras Vryonides (Cyprus), Mr. Masood Imad (Maldives), Mr. Abu Bakarr Karim (Sierra Leone), and Mr. Haymandoyal Dillum (Mauritius).

Following the acceptance of credentials, President Wickremesinghe engaged in discussions with the new diplomats.  Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabri, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Senior Advisor on National Security and Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aruni Wijewardena, and other officials also attend the event.