(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC Wednesday arrived in Sri Lanka, the first country on her first official visits to three Commonwealth member countries in South and South East Asia, during an 11-day trip.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General was welcomed by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake this afternoon.
Upon her arrival in Colombo, the Commonwealth Secretary-General met with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Temple Trees and held discussions on a range of topics including the climate, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Trade.
“It was a pleasure to meet with the Commonwealth Secretary-General today. We are delivering on our plan to build Sri Lanka�s reputation, strengthen trade relations with the world and ensure that our country has a seat at the international table,” the Premier said on Twitter.The Commonwealth Secretary-General said she had a rich discussion with the Prime Minister and presented the Commonwealth Secretariat’s tool kits governance and accountability and implementation of SDGs to the Premier.
The Secretary-General thanked Sri Lanka for its strong support for the Commonwealth and lauded Sri Lanka for being a Blue Charter champion on mangroves, its support for the Commonwealth Small States Trade Finance Facility and dedication to universal healthcare.
Prior to her departure, Scotland said Sri Lanka, Brunei and Bangladesh are greatly valued members of the Commonwealth family and she looks forward to acquainting herself more closely with the many encouraging and positive developments taking place in the region – and with challenges which the convening power of the Commonwealth can help to tackle.
“Next year, Sri Lanka will host the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting. This will again be an opportunity to share best legal practice from throughout the commonality and yet rich diversity of our Commonwealth family in order to improve access to justice for all our citizens,” she said.
