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Consulate General of Sri Lanka, Toronto
Minister Kiriella attends former Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee's funeral
Minister Lakshman Kiriella represented the Government of Sri Lanka as Special Envoy at the State funeral of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi on Friday(17).
During this visit to New Delhi Minister Kiriella had a meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
New Delhi
17 August 2018
Ministries of Foreign and Home Affairs sign MoU to expand Electronic Document Attestation System to Divisional Secretariat level
With a view to expanding the document attestation services provided through the Electronic Document Attestation System (e-DAS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Divisional Secretariat level, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Foreign and Home Affairs on 16 August 2018.
Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam and Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs S.T. Kodikara signed the MoU in the presence of Minister of Home Affairs Vajira Abeywardena, during the Government Agents' Conference held at the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA).
The MoU will enable the expansion of the Electronic Document Attestation System to Divisional Secretariats initially as a pilot project at the 19 Divisional Secretariats in the Galle District. The expectation is to extend the facility to all 332 Divisional Secretariats island-wide subsequently.
Connecting the Divisional Secretariats island-wide to the Electronic Document Attestation System will allow the general public to have their required documentation processed at the nearest Divisional Secretariat, without visiting the Consular Affairs Division in Colombo. People in the Northern Province who currently visit the Regional Consular Office in Jaffna for this purpose too would be able to have document attestation done through their nearest Divisional Secretariats instead of the Regional Consular Office. For the pilot project, the Canadian Government has donated equipment worth Rs. 6.8 million through the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena thanked the Canadian Government for the donation of equipment to implement the pilot project, and requested all Government Agents to extend their support to have the Electronic Document Attestation System implemented at the Divisional Secretariats in all Districts.
In his remarks, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam observed that the functioning of the Electronic Document Attestation System at the Divisional Secretariat level would effectively serve the community of migrant workers who annually remit a substantial amount of foreign exchange to the country.
This initiative is part of the endeavours of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to streamline, decentralize and improve Consular service delivery to the public through digitalization.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
17 August 2018
Sri Lanka becomes a Member of the Conference on Interactions and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
Sri Lanka was unanimously accepted as a Member of the Conference on Interactions and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 15 August 2018, by its 26 Member States. At a ceremony held in Beijing on 15 August, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the People’s Republic of China, Dr. Karunasena Kodithuwakku signed the Declaration of Principles Guiding Relations among the CICA Members States and the Almaty Act, the two mandatory documents that a new Member State is required to sign to obtain full membership.
Established in 1992, the CICA is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia, which focuses on confidence building measures. Sri Lanka has been an Observer State of the CICA since 2012.
The membership of the CICA would further enhance Sri Lanka’s bilateral, economic and trade cooperation as well as people to people contacts with other CICA Member States.
The Member States of the CICA include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
The current Chair of the CICA is China and the Secretariat of the Conference is located in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
17 August 2018
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Sri Lanka and Oman sign Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion
During the Second Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Oman Bilateral Consultations, held on 15 August 2018 in Colombo at senior officials' level, an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sultanate of Oman was signed by the leaders of the respective delegations.
The Sri Lanka delegation to the Bilateral Consultations was led by Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam and the delegation of Oman was headed by the Under-Secretary for Diplomacy and Chief Master's Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman Mahmood Awad Al Hassan. Senior Officials of both Foreign Ministries participated in the discussions with several line Ministries and agencies representing Sri Lanka joining as well.
During the Meeting, Sri Lanka and Oman reaffirmed the commitment to further consolidate and advance bilateral political and economic cooperation. The discussions focused on the follow-up action on the decisions made at the First Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Oman Bilateral Consultations held in Muscat in 2014, and new avenues for bilateral cooperation. The two sides agreed to work towards the establishment of business, trade and shipping links between Oman, as a gateway to the Middle East and Sri Lanka, as a hub of the Indian Ocean.
A wide range of matters for mutual collaboration in the fields of trade; tourism; immigration and emigration; labour and manpower training; defence; agriculture; higher education; and culture were reviewed and discussed. Moreover, fisheries, sports, oil and gas were identified as new areas for possible future cooperation. It was also agreed to assist the establishment of a Sri Lanka-Oman Business Council between the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The two sides also agreed to conclude an Agreement on Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments at the earliest, and to consider entering into a MOU on Skills Development and Mutual Recognition of Qualifications to facilitate mobility of skilled workers from Sri Lanka to Oman.
The two sides stressed the importance of continuing to work together at regional and multilateral fora for advancing shared interests. Consolidation of bilateral political relations through exchange of high-level visits was also discussed at the Meeting.
The visiting Omani delegation also called on Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana during their stay in Sri Lanka.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
16 August 2018
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Second Integrated Consular Mobile Service coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held in Mannar on 12 – 13 August 2018
The 2nd Integrated Consular Mobile Service (ICMS), coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held on 12 – 13 August 2018 at the Mannar Town Hall.
The purpose of the ICMS was to address the consular related needs of those who had sought refuge overseas during the conflict and returned to Sri Lanka following the end of the conflict. During the two-day ICMS, 242 applications for citizenship were received, 59 consular birth certificates were issued, and clarification was provided to those seeking advice and guidance on matters related to citizenship and birth certificates.
Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana participated in the ICSM on 12 August and interacted with the people seeking assistance.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Registrar General’s Department and the Citizenship Division of the Department of Immigration and Emigration conducted the ICMS.
The 1st ICMS was held in Killinochchi on 01 – 02 July 2018 at which 201 applications for citizenship were received and 61 consular birth certificates were issued.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo.
15 August 2018
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