Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ethiopia K.K. Theshantha Kumarasiri presented his credentials to President of Ethiopia, Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde on 27 April 2023 at the Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Following the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Kumarasiri was received in the audience by President Zewde, during which Ambassador Kumarasiri conveyed to President Zewde the sincere greetings of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, under whose directives the Government of Sri Lanka is determined to make stronger bilateral relations with all African countries including Ethiopia in line with the new foreign policy initiative introduced by President Wickremesinghe under the theme of “Look Africa.”
During the discussion President Zewde assured that the Government of Ethiopia stands ready to work with the Government of Sri Lanka in strengthening bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation for the mutual benefits of Sri Lanka and Ethiopia.
Further, the discussion was centered on developing partnerships for trade and investment between Ethiopia and Sri Lanka with bilateral linkages at the targeted priority sectors such as apparel manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, agriculture, ICT, innovation & knowledge creation, logistics and construction. The discussion envisaged a wider Africa centric partnership particularly on blue economic initiatives to meet common challenges of climate change, sustainable development, inclusive economic growth, energy and security within the solidarity of the South-South cooperation. The conversation also underscored the significance of formulating on-going bilateral interactions between Sri Lanka and Ethiopia in view of formulating modalities for institutional and structural instruments for enhancing bilateral interactions between Sri Lanka and Ethiopia including establishing partnership with business Chambers of the two countries for mutual benefits.
While recognizing Sri Lanka’s continuous partnerships with Ethiopia particularly in the manufacturing sector which has successfully contributed to create employment opportunities for a large number of Ethiopian citizens, President Zewde assured that the pertinent authorities in Ethiopia will continue to provide more and more investment opportunities and business partnerships between Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.
At the end of the cordial discussion, Ambassador Kumarasiri appreciated the support and cooperation extended by the Government of Ethiopia to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Addis Ababa for its successful deliberations in the host country, Ethiopia. Further, Ambassador Kumarasiri as the new Head of Mission to Ethiopia expressed his commitment to broaden the existing bilateral interactions between Sri Lanka and Ethiopia under his dual position as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ethiopia and also the Permanent Representative to the African Union which he recognized as complimentary. President Zewde in return congratulated Ambassador Kumarasiri for a successful tenure in Ethiopia.
Ambassador Kumarasiri is a member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service with over 20 years of career experience while serving previously in France, South Korea and Brazil. He is a graduate of the University of Kelaniya, and he has a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratization from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
