C’wealth Secretary General to arrive in SL

She will undertake a four-day official visit

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland will arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, August 1 on a four-day official visit, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday.

In a statement, the ministry said this would be Dame Scotland’s first visit to Sri Lanka since she assumed the Office of Secretary General in April 2016.

“On August 1, the Secretary-general will call on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and meet Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana. She will meet Ministers Malik Samarawickrama, Faiszer Musthapha, Sagala Ratnayake, Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan on August 2 and 3,” it said.

The main objective of the Secretary-general’s meetings will be to explore greater cooperation and collaboration in the implementation of the agreed outcomes at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government

On August 1, the Secretary-general will call on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and meet Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana. She will meet Ministers Malik Samarawickrama, Faiszer Musthapha, Sagala Ratnayake, Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan on August 2 and 3

Meeting (CHOGM) in London, including promoting intracommonwealth trade.

Discussions will also include the implementation of the ‘Commonwealth Blue Charter’, under which Sri Lanka holds the role of a champion country to lead the Commonwealth effort towards the restoration of mangroves.