Foreign Secretary participates in Commonwealth Senior Officials meeting held in London
Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane led the Sri Lanka Delegation to the Commonwealth Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the Committee of the Whole (COW) held in London, United Kingdom from 03-06 September 2024.
The discussions at the meetings focused on the arrangements for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in October in Samoa and its outcome documents.
On the sidelines of the Commonwealth meetings, Foreign Secretary Wijewardane met the Permanent Under Secretary Sir Philip Barton of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom on 03 September 2024. Foreign Secretary Wijewardane and Permanent Under Secretary Barton discussed the ongoing implementation of the outcomes of the second meeting of the Sri Lanka – UK Strategic Dialogue convened in May 2024 in Colombo.
Foreign Secretary Wijewardane apprised Permanent Under Secretary of Sri Lanka’s progress in stabilizing the economy and the work to achieve sustainable development for all segments of the people. The Foreign Secretary also welcomed the recent high-level visits from the UK, as well as the ongoing discussions related to the implementation of the Developing Country Trading Scheme (DCTS) in Sri Lanka which is an impetus to bilateral trade. Both sides welcomed the recent signature between the two countries of the MoU on Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP). The vibrant people-to-people ties emanating from the significant community of Sri Lankan heritage in the UK also featured in the discussions.
On 05 September 2024, Foreign Secretary Wijewardane met with The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Both sides reviewed the ongoing collaborations between Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth Secretariat in diverse areas such as education, combating climate change, mangrove conservation and assistance in strengthening financial oversight. Secretary General Scotland apprised the Foreign Secretary of the deployment of the Commonwealth Election Observer Group led by H.E. Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles to observe the forthcoming Presidential Election. The Secretary General also highlighted that for the first time, the upcoming Commonwealth Summit will be held in a Pacific Island Member State of the Commonwealth – Samoa – and would draw attention to climate change and related challenges.
Foreign Secretary Wijewardane also met with The Rt Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs at the Lancaster House on 04 September along with Heads of SOM delegations, and with Hon. Catherine West Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo – Pacific for the FCDO at a working dinner on 05 September.
On invitation extended by the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust, Foreign Secretary Wijewardane addressed a gathering at the London Buddhist Vihara on 06 September where she highlighted the important religious contacts between UK and Sri Lanka carried out through the work of the Vihara and the British Maha Bodhi Society of the UK.
The Foreign Secretary was accompanied to the meetings by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK Rohitha Bogollagama and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the High Commission of Sri Lanka to the UK.
Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane led the Sri Lanka Delegation to Commonwealth meetings in London, focusing on the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Discussions with UK officials centered on bilateral relations, trade, and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme. Wijewardane also met with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to discuss collaborations in education and climate change. Additionally, she met with UK officials and addressed a gathering at the London Buddhist Vihara, highlighting religious contacts between the UK and Sri Lanka. The Foreign Secretary was accompanied by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK and other officials.
