Phnom Penh ; Marking a significant milestone in the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and
Cambodia and reaffirming the shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral
cooperation, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka officially inaugurated its
first Honorary Consulate in the Kingdom of Cambodia recently at the historic
Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh.
The ceremony formally marked the appointment of Pily Wong as the Honorary Consul
of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Cambodia. On
behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of
Cambodia E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe presented the Letter of Appointment to Pily
Wong, officially inaugurating Sri Lanka’s first Honorary Consulate in Cambodia.
The inauguration ceremony, held under the theme “Building Stronger Ties, Shared
Prosperity – Sri Lanka & Cambodia,” was graced by Secretary of State of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, Dr. UN Kheang, as the
Guest of Honour. The event was attended by Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic
Missions, Honorary Consuls, senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Interior and other institutions of the
Royal Government of Cambodia, representatives of the business community, and
members of the Sri Lankan community residing in Cambodia.
Delivering the welcome remarks, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Cambodia, Pily
Wong expressed his appreciation to the Government of Sri Lanka for the confidence
placed in him through his appointment as the first Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in
Cambodia. He reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Embassy of Sri
Lanka in Bangkok and the Royal Government of Cambodia to promote bilateral
relations, facilitate trade, investment and tourism, foster business and people-to-people
linkages, and assist Sri Lankan nationals in Cambodia.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe highlighted that the inauguration of the Honorary
Consulate marked the beginning of a new chapter in Sri Lanka–Cambodia relations. She
noted that although diplomatic relations were established in 1952, the friendship
between the two countries dated back many centuries, founded upon their shared
Theravada Buddhist heritage, longstanding cultural exchanges, ancient maritime trade
links and enduring people-to-people connections.
The Ambassador noted that Sri Lanka–Cambodia relations had gained renewed
momentum in recent years through high-level exchanges, expanding political dialogue
and growing economic cooperation. She emphasized that the establishment of Sri
Lanka’s first Honorary Consulate in Cambodia reflected the importance attached by the
Government of Sri Lanka to further strengthening bilateral relations and expressed
confidence that it would serve as a focal point for promoting trade, investment, tourism
and business partnerships, while complementing the work of the Embassy of Sri Lanka
in Bangkok and providing greater support to Sri Lankan nationals residing in or visiting
Cambodia
