RIYADH : As a part of community outreach initiative introduced by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh to recognize long-serving Sri Lankan migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador of Sri Lanka Ameer Ajwad felicitated Mohamed Azeerdeen of Sri Lankan Malay community in Riyadh, who served in Banque Saudi Fransi popularly known as BSF for the last 30 years and leaving the Kingdom for good.
Azeerdeen joined the BSF in 1996 as a clerk in the operations department and later promoted as a team leader in the treasury back office.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad recalled the significant role played by the Malay community in Sri Lanka and commended the active participation of the members of Sri Lankan Malay community in Saudi Arabia in promoting Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia relations. Ambassador also underscored that Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Kingdom are one of the vital components of the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and that they make significant contributions in different fields to the development of the host country as well as to the economy of the home country by sending their remittances. Ambassador presented a memento to Mohamed Azeerdeen in recognition of his longstanding services and his contributions to the Sri Lankan community in Saudi Arabia.
The felicitation ceremony was held on Thursday,16th October during the event organized by the Sri Lankan Malays Association (SLAMA) in Riyadh headed by Sudara Thasnir Deen Thassim, son of yet another celebrated senior banker in the Kingdom from the Sri Lankan Malay community , Marhoom S.B.C Thasim.
Vice President of SLAMA Sudara Nasoordeen Packeer and prominent members of the Malay community in Riyadh participated in the event.
The ceremony forms a part of the Embassy’s ongoing initiative, launched in July 2024, to recognize senior Sri Lankan migrant workers who have rendered exceptional services to both home and host countries over the decades. Since then, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh has felicitated five senior Sri Lankan migrant workers of different professions who left the Kingdom to Sri Lanka for good.
Sri Lanka Malays Association (SLAMA) was established in 2010 with the objective of preserving Malay language and culture and fostering unity among the Sri Lankan community in Saudi Arabia. SLAMA has organized numerous educational, cultural, sports and community welfare activities over the years.
