COLOMBO : Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Italy Friday morning Sep. 10 to take part in an international symposium.
He is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the opening session of the event which will be held at one of Europe’s oldest seats of learning, the University of Bologna.
According to reports, the prime minister was accompanied by a delegation of 17 officials. He is accompanied by foreign minister G.L Peiris, PM’s Secretary Gamini Senarath and Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
The visit will also include several other high-level diplomatic meetings.
Recently, the Prime Minister and the Government were criticized over the former’s visit to Italy, after it was reported that he was set to visit the Vatican.
Addressing recent speculations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that at no stage has PM Rajapaksa requested nor has he received an invitation to visit the Vatican for an audience with His Holiness, the Pope.
