Sri Lanka opens first High Commission in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared opened the new High Commission of Sri Lanka in Uganda at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala yesterday, the Ugandan daily New Vision reported.

The colourful ceremony that was attended by President Mahinda Rajapaska was characterised by the unveiling of a plaque and cutting of a ribbon. The first Envoy of Sri Lanka to Uganda is Velupillai Kananathan.

The same function saw the launching of the rehabilitation of Masulita Vocational Training Centre in Kakiri District. The Government of Sri Lanka has committed to undertake the project at the centre whose current intake is 200 students and once refurbishment is completed will have a capacity of 400 students.

Museveni thanked the Sri Lankan Government for the offer and said the people of the area would be delighted about the project as the area has some historical significance in the liberation of the country.

“I want to thank the Government of Sri Lanka for the project. The area happens to be the place where we were fighting a war of resistance. The people of the area will be delighted about the project,” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Professor G.L. Peiris in his remarks described the occasion as a befitting tribute for the cordial relationship between the two countries Sri Lanka and Uganda.

“We have a political relationship that is ideal. Our countries share many things in common. They have both emerged from the shadows of colonialism. We must work together to achieve our objectives,” he noted.