COLOMBO ; The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka,
Khalid Hamoud Alkahtani, hosted an official reception on the occasion of the 94th National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo on Tuesday evening 24/09/2024. Hon. Vijitha Herath Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sri Lanka participated as the Chief Guest along with a number of senior Members of Parliament, Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited to the Republic of Sri Lanka, and a wide array of political, security, economic, academic, cultural and media elites.
During the event, the Ambassador delivered a speech in which he welcomed all the distinguished guests and expressed his sincere congratulations and wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He recalled the great heroic stances taken by the founder, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and his loyal men, which contributed to uniting the Kingdom, unifying its word and building its entity, highlighting the achievements made by the Kingdom in various fields and at all levels under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and with the efforts of the founder of the ambitious vision “Vision 2030” His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
The Ambassador also referred to the Kingdom’s projects and the Kingdom’s role in enhancing global security and peace, in addition to the Kingdom’s hosting many summits, conferences and meetings, whether political, economic, technical, sports or tourism, and its winning the bid to organize “Expo 2030” in the capital, Riyadh.
He pointed out the Kingdom’s efforts to alleviate human suffering worldwide and providing of support of approximately USD 131 billion in development assistance to more than 171 countries and ranking among the largest donor countries for humanitarian and relief aid worldwide.
The Ambassador also praised the distinguished relations between the two countries at the political, economic and social levels, and the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries, focusing on the development projects that were implemented in Sri Lanka with funding from the Kingdom, which amounted to more than USD 455 million, and he pointed out that the trade exchange between the two countries in 2023 amounted to more than USD 400 million.
He pointed out that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries. His Excellency also extended his congratulations to the HE Anura Kumara Dissanayake, newly elected President of the Republic, on the occasion of his victory in the presidential elections and his swearing in as President of the Republic of Sri Lanka, wishing him success and prosperity and for the people of the Republic of Sri Lanka further progress and prosperity. He also thanked and expressed his gratitude to all those who honored this blessed event.
In a speech delivered by the Chief Guest Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, on behalf of the President, the Government of Sri Lanka and the people of Sri Lanka, he extended his congratulations and wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, praising the distinguished relations between the two countries and the mutual cooperation and support between the two countries in international forums. He also extended his sincere thanks and gratitude to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the support it provided in the process of restructuring its foreign debts and its continued support for Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council, as well as the continued assistance provided by the Kingdom through the Saudi Fund for Development to implement development projects in Sri Lanka and provide job opportunities for more than 200,000 Sri Lankans in the Kingdom. He also extended his invitation to the Kingdom to be a partner in the development path of Sri Lanka through investing in the tourism sector, the dedicated pharmaceutical zone in Hambantota, the IT parks and Fabric Park in Batticaloa, the Colombo Port City, Hambantota Port, etc.. He also called on Saudi citizens to visit Sri Lanka as it is considered a wonderful tourist destination.
