The embassy of Sri Lanka recently organised a grand reception for the diplomatic community and officials of Qatar government besides the representatives of Sri Lankan community organisations to celebrate the 68th Independence Day of Sri Lanka, which falls on February 4.
The ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar, Dr W M Karunadasa, along with HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment, Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi, HE the Minister of Culture and Sports, Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, and Director of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Fakhroo, cut the cake to mark the occasion.
Following the cake-cutting ceremony, performers from Sri Lanka and students of Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha, attired in traditional outfits, presented dances representing different parts of the country at Al Majlis in Sheraton Doha.


Dancers from Sri Lanka represented different regions of the country.

A virtual tour of Sri Lanka’s biggest tourist attractions and destinations was given to the guests through video screenings. A narrator would explain different traditions of the local people from different parts of the island country.
Welcoming the guests and dignitaries, ambassador Karunadasa said it was an honour for him, his family and colleagues at the embassy and Sri Lankan community organisations to celebrate their country’s Independence Day with the diplomatic community and the Qatar government.
The ambassador briefed the audience about Sri Lanka’s history, how it achieved independence and the development made by the country post-Independence. “Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, was among the first three new states, which fought a constitutional battle without shedding a drop of blood in gaining its independence from the British Raj,” said the ambassador.
In the post-independence era, Sri Lanka still remains along with India, one of the oldest democracies which became a republic under the new constitution of 1972, added Karunadasa.


Students of Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha stage a performance.

In the economic sphere, he said, what Sri Lanka has gained after Independence is depicted in the World Development Report published by the United Nations. Its Human Development Index identifies Sri Lanka as a middle income country and rated its position as 73 out of 194 member nations in the UN.
“Sri Lanka in absolute terms is a welfare state which provides free education kindergarten up to the University level and offers free healthcare services for all irrespective of age factor,” the ambassador of Sri Lanka told the audience.
He said the 30-year long war in Sri Lanka, which was brought to a halt in 2009 by the Sri Lankan armed forces, caused huge destruction and resulted in the paralysis of the rapid economic development of Sri Lanka.
However, after the formation of new government in Sri Lanka in 2015, the environment created in Sri Lanka is business friendly with solid political stability. It is rapidly becoming a tourist destination to be rated as No. 1 by an international journal recently published in United States of America, said the ambassador in his speech.
Referring to the cordial relations between Qatar and Sri Lanka, the ambassador noted that in March last year, HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani made an official two-day visit to Sri Lanka. It was the first official visit made by any head of the state after the formation of the new government.
Three memoranda of understanding were signed between the two governments in the field of sports, youth and mutual co-operation on the exchange of news. “The bilateral talks held between the two leaders covered many areas ranging from co-operation in the areas of trade, investments, tourism, energy and air connectivity,” said the ambassador.
He elaborated that with the opening of a resident Sri Lankan mission in Doha in 1997 and the reciprocal opening of Qatar resident mission in 2004 in Colombo, the economic ties between the two countries began to strengthen with the inflow of 120,000 Sri Lankan expatriate workers to Qatar.
Both countries received benefits at the end with the growing trade and cultural ties, the ambassador added. He invited the guests to “visit Sri Lanka and invest in Sri Lanka.” The guests were treated with traditional Sri Lankan food at the dinner following the ambassador’s speech.





Related Story