New Sri Lankan Ambassador to State of Qatar presents credentials

Dr. W.M. Karunadasa, the newly appointed Sri Lanka Ambassador to the State of Qatar, presented his credentials to Sheik Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Deputy Emir of the State of Qatar on 31 August at the Emir Divan in Doha.

Having been escorted by a motorcade followed by a Guard of Honour and the recital of the national anthems of the two countries, Dr. Karunadasa was extended a warm welcome by the Deputy Emir, who wished the Ambassador every success in his tenure in Qatar.

Ambassador Dr. Karunadasa reciprocated and recalled that relations between the two countries dated back to 1976 when the then Emir, Halifa Bin Hamad Al Thani, attended the Fifth Non-Aligned Summit in Colombo, in 1976, that fostered the opening up of diplomatic missions in both countries and paved the way for State visits by leaders of both countries.

The Ambassador also recalled the landmark visits of the Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, the Foreign Minister in January 2012 and recent visit of the Emir Tammin Bin Hamad Al Thani in March 2015 following the formation of the present Government under President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as a testament to the strong ties between the two countries.

Ambassador Karunadasa conveyed the greetings and best wishes of the Sri Lanka government and underscored his commitment to further strengthening and promote bilateral relations between the two countries. Noting the large expatriate workforce residing in Qatar, the Sri Lankan envoy highlighted the need to further consolidate trade, commerce, investment, tourism and cultural ties between the two countries in the years ahead. In view of the many bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries, Ambassador Dr. Karunadasa expressed the hope that they would provide the framework for further cooperation and new areas such as in higher education, tertiary and IT education could be explored, with exchange programs of university teachers, professionals and journalists.

Ambassador Karunadasa also recalled cooperation between the two countries in the multilateral fora at the United Nations. In response, the Deputy Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani spoke of their intention to further strengthen and enhance bilateral relations in a number of economic areas and noted that exchange and visits of academics and teachers at upper tertiary and university level would be a positive area to support and also looked forward to high level visits between the two countries.

 Ambassador Dr. Karunadasa had been the former Professor of International Relations at the University of Colombo, who later joined the Bar as a Counsel of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal subsequent to his retirement in 2008. He also served as the Commissioner of National Housing prior to his diplomatic assignment.