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Felicitations from the Sri Lankan Diplomatic Mission

Udaya Indrarathna

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Ambassador

of Sri Lanka to the UAE

It gives me immense pleasure to pen my message on this special occasion, as Sri Lanka is celebrating its 75th Independence Day which falls on February 4. On behalf of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President and the Government of Sri Lanka, I wish to extend my warmest felicitations to the fellow Sri Lankans living in the UAE who have immensely contributed for the massive development of this country. Furthermore, I am grateful for the huge contributions made by all Sri Lankans by sending your hard-earned money as foreign remittance to uplift the development of our motherland.

At this juncture, when we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of independence, it is my firm belief that as a nation inspired by a great history and human and natural resources, we will remain as a resilient nation, fully capable of overcoming our challenges successfully.

I also wish to pay my heartfelt gratitude to the visionary leadership of the UAE, the Government, and the people of the UAE, for their friendly support and cooperation throughout the years. As the seventh largest expat population in the UAE, it is indeed heart-warming to witness that we, the Sri Lankans in the UAE calling this county their home. The highest level of tolerance and the multicultural nature has encouraged so many Sri Lankans to settle and work dedicatedly towards the development of the UAE.

As a true friend and a trusted partner, the UAE has played an important role in facilitating the growth and development of Sri Lanka. Our strategic partnership is strongly interwovenand continuously strengthened by our shared values and people-to-people ties. We strongly believe that our bilateral cooperation will reach new heights in the coming years for the mutual benefit of our two countries.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka is looking forward to working closely with the Government and the people of the UAE to enhance the friendly cooperation between our two countries to reach the next level of collaborations.I wish you all the best, good health, and prosperity in all your future endeavours.

Nalinda Wijerathna

Consul General

of Sri Lanka to Dubai and Northern Emirates

It is with a great pleasure that I extend my warmest greetings and felicitations to the expatriate Sri Lankan community living in the UAE on this special day that we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Independence of our beloved motherland. The year 2023 marks another special milestone in UAE — Sri Lanka relations as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Sri Lanka Consulate General office in Dubai in this year.

The friendly and cordial relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka have grown exponentially since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in 1979. While witnessing important bilateral achievements over a period of forty years, the friendly relations between the two countries, which are based on mutual trust and understanding, have spread in all the spheres including trade, investment, tourism, and economic cooperation. I take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to the Government and the people of the UAE for their exemplary hospitality and continued support extended towards the Sri Lankan community in the UAE.

The Consulate General of Sri Lanka to Dubai and Northern Emirates was initially established as a Consulate Office in 1993 and was subsequently upgraded to a Consulate General Office status in 1999. Since its inception, for over a period of 30 years, the Sri Lanka Consulate General office in Dubai has been providing its services for an estimated number of around 250,000 Sri Lankan expatriate community living in Dubai and Northern Emirates of the UAE.

As we celebrate the 75th Independence Day Anniversary of our motherland today, I am happy to note that, despite that recent economic challenges, tourism Industry, the country’s third largest foreign exchange earner, has come back on the progressive track in 2022. The country has begun to re-establish itself as a prime tourist destination while number of international travel magazines and media have recognised Sri Lanka as one of the best tourist destinations in the year 2022.

I would like to extend an open invitation to all who live in the UAE to come and enjoy Sri Lankan cultural performances, cuisine and various activities in the special ‘Sri Lankan Day 2023’, which has been organised by the Sri Lanka Consulate General Office and the Sri Lankan Community on February 11 at Zabeel Park, Dubai.

Happy 75th Independence Day Sri Lanka!

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