Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The outgoing High Commissioner of Seychelles in Colombo Conrad Vincent Mederic called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Foreign Ministry on 08 January 2021.

The Foreign Minister complemented the High Commissioner Mederic for his outstanding and significant contributions towards enhancing Sri Lanka - Seychelles relations during his tenure including the Presidential visits in 2017 and 2018 as the first High Commissioner of Seychelles to Sri Lanka. While acknowledging the staunch support extended by Seychelles to Sri Lanka in the realm of multilateral and international fora, Foreign Minister Gunawardena reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to enhance close collaboration in areas of trade, agriculture medical tourism, blue economy, hospitality, financial sector and information technology.

While offering New Year greetings to the people of Sri Lanka from the President and the Foreign Minister of Seychelles, High Commissioner Mederic underlined the importance of fruitful cooperation between Sri Lanka and Seychelles which has a huge potential to reach new heights in the post Covid world. The High Commissioner also apprised the opportunities open for Sri Lankan professionals and skilled workers in Seychelles in numerous fields such as in education, health, financial and tourism sectors.

The High Commissioner also commended on the state of the art service rendered by hospitality and health industries of Sri Lanka by which several people of Seychelles benefit annually. Foreign Minister Gunawardena assured the envoy the early resumption of medical tourism for the Seychellois people. The Foreign Minister and the High Commissioner also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including Covid-19 pandemic, maritime security, human trafficking, drug smuggling and transnational crimes.

Despite the closure of the High Commission of Seychelles in Colombo due to economic constraints posed by the Covid crisis, the High Commissioner handed over a letter to the Foreign Minister seeking permission to appoint a Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka.

As Indian Ocean nations, both parties agreed to consolidate the existing relations embracing new areas of cooperation in the years ahead.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

10 January 2021

The Foreign Ministry will continue facilitating repatriations without any financial burden on Sri Lankans, the Foreign Secretary asserted responding to misinformation in the public domain. Secretary Jayanath Colombage made it clear that the role of the Missions is strictly confined to organizing repatriation flights for returnees who are tested on arrival, offered all logistical support and are quarantined at Government facilities free of charge.

The returnees are drawn from the list of overseas Sri Lankans registered in the Missions and Posts and repatriated depending on their vulnerability levels and on a  “first come first serve basis“. Foreign Employment Bureau and their representatives are working with our missions on the safe return of the expatriate working community on the same basis in relation to availability of flights and clearance by Airport Authorities in the relevant countries. The number of passengers who are permitted to travel per day, however, is determined by the Task Force chiefly based on a periodical appraisal and inputs provided by the Army in charge of quarantine centres and the Ministry of Health which is entrusted with the task of implementing health guidelines.

In circumstances where the local quarantine and medical care facilities are fully stretched, repatriation on payment basis becomes an option for those returnees who could afford such facilities.

Charter flights for overseas Sri Lankans are approved and organized through Sri Lanka Missions on the request of Sri Lankan community groups who prefer paid quarantine, testing and other logistical arrangements involved in the repatriation process.

Cargo flights and a few selected commercial flights are also approved by the Ministry for repatriation, a third type of facilitation offered to relatively small groups of passengers who could afford to pay for quarantine and other requirements involved and a maximum of 75 passengers per flight are permitted as per the latest directive of the Covid Task force.

The General Sales Agents (GSA) of respective Air Lines have been authorized to  deal with the passengers on charges of Air tickets, PCR tests and quarantining and the Diplomatic Missions have not been mandated to handle payments whatsoever concerning the travel requirements except for extremely special cases of requests for such facilitation.

As the pandemic situation remains fluid and unpredictable a regular re-appraisal is undertaken, based on which the process of repatriation is periodically reviewed.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

08 January 2021

Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka from 5th to 7th January 2021 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. During his visit, Minister Dr. Jaishankar is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

While this official visit marks the first arrival of a high-level foreign dignitary in Sri Lanka in 2021, it also becomes the earliest official visit outside India for External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar in the New Year. Quite uniquely External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar became the first official foreign visitor in Sri Lanka after the Presidential Election in November 2019, who conveyed the congratulations, as well as an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to undertake his first state visit to India. Through such high-level exchanges, both sides are looking forward to strengthen the bilateral relationship in multiple areas of cooperation.

The visit is arranged through the air-bubble concept amidst Covid-19 travel restrictions in both countries.

Foreign Ministry
Colombo

4 January 2021

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena called on Ambassador Juana Elena Ramos Rodriguez at the Cuban Embassy in Colombo on the occasion of the National Day of Cuba which fell on  1st January 2021 and extended best wishes to the Cuban Government. The Minister also expressed his gratitude towards the Cuban Government on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka for the support extended by Cuba to Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, State Minister Susil Premajayantha, Members of Parliament Prof. Tissa Vitharana and Yadamini Gunawardena representing the Sri Lanka - Cuba Friendship Association and a group of representatives from several political parties including Member of the Colombo Municipal Council Mr. Steven were also present on this occasion to congratulate the Cuban Government and the people of Cuba, on their National Day.

Foreign Ministry
Colombo

03 January 2021

Despite the worsening global situation triggered by the Covid pandemic, the process of repatriation of Sri Lankans, one of the most pressing challenges at hand has been judiciously spear headed by the Foreign Ministry under the directive of Minister Dinesh Gunawardana, enduring insurmountable challenges overseas amid lockdowns, isolations, curfews and closure of air space, to ensure swift return of Sri Lankans who are in distress.

Since the evacuation of 33 students from Wuhan City, in February 2019, the Ministry has been carrying out the task of repatriation for almost a year now and to date 60,470 Sri Lankans, composed of pilgrims, students, Officials of Government or Armed Forces, migrant workers, short term visitors, sea farers and cases on compassionate grounds have been repatriated from 137 countries by the Ministry through the Sri Lanka Missions overseas.

Over 40,000 migrant workers, predominantly from the Middle East region have been the top segment of overseas workers who have benefitted so far whereas another 20,000 Sri Lankans have been brought down from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin American regions. As the conditions abroad deteriorate and due to the large number of layoffs and other courses of unemployment, the number of prospective returnees keep rising and currently an estimated 68,000 Overseas Sri Lankans from various regions have been wait listed by the Ministry for repatriation.

The latest fortnightly schedule of flights finalized to be operated between 2-9 January 2021, will include 1400 passengers from Chennai, Melbourne, Kuwait, Doha, Canada, Cyprus and Dubai, Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage has stated.

Most importantly the Ministry and its 67 Missions continue discussions with friendly nations, UN Agencies and regional organizations and have secured as grants and donations large consignments of PCR test kits, RAT kits, test machines, lifesaving medicines, Ventilators, humidifiers and huge quantities of PPEs and face masks towards reinforcing the national Covid containment efforts which has spared the Government from incurring a huge sum of funds. The Missions are also closely following the developments with regard to manufacturing of vaccines and serving as a conduit of vital and timely information on the feasibilities of sourcing the vaccine from foreign governments.

The Ministry as measures of immediate relief, air lifted over 10,000 packs of dry rations and indigenous medicines to Male, Dubai and Doha first time in the history of Sri Lanka and has given around Rs.80 Million so far for the sustenance of our communities overseas. The funds were aimed at supplying basic medicine, testing, temporary accommodation, protective gears, internal transportation and in some cases the air tickets.

Foreign Ministry

03 January 2021