COLOMBO : Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad, attended the 77th Independence Day celebrations of Sri Lanka, hosted by the Sri Lankan Cultural Forum in Dammam, as the chief guest.
The event which was held on 7th February 2025, commenced with the hoisting of the national flag by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the sound of magulbera, followed by singing of the National Anthem. Keeping with the tradition, a two-minute silence was observed in remembrance and honour of all patriots who sacrificed their lives for the motherland.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad greeted the Sri Lankan community in the Kingdom and briefed them on the policy of the new Government of Sri Lanka based on three pillars namely, alleviation of rural poverty, digital economy and clean Sri Lanka. Ambassador also pointed out that since the Government of Sri Lanka has achieved a historic mandate winning the hearts and minds of all the communities in the country from North to South and East to West for the first time, he emphasized the importance of all communities, irrespective of their differences, to join hands with the Government of Sri Lanka for the nation building. Ambassador also invited Sri Lankan community in the Kingdom to contribute to the “Clean Sri Lanka” projects introduced by the Government.
Ambassador Ameer Ajwad also highlighted the completion of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and outlined the initiatives taken by the Embassy to commemorate this historic milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. Ambassador also briefed on the initiatives by the Embassy to reach out to the community by introducing a successful fortnightly program named “Talk to Your Ambassador” and invited the members of the Sri Lanka community living in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia to make use of this programme to discuss their issues as well as to make their own suggestions to the Embassy.
During the event, students from the Sri Lankan International School in Dammam who excelled in the essay, art and the logo design competitions, organized by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Riyadh to mark the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, received their awards from Ambassador Ameer Ajwad.
A large number of Sri Lankan expatriates living in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came together to commemorate this significant national occasion demonstrating their patriotic solidarity with their motherland. Sri Lankan traditional cuisine was served to the participants.
At the end of the event, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh conducted its monthly consular mobile service where a large number of Sri Lankan migrant workers living and working in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia, received their consular and labour welfare services.
