Prestigious Spanish award for Minister Gunawardena

A prestigious award The Order of Isabella the Catholic of the Kingdom of Spain was bestowed upon Water Supply and Drainage Minister and Chief Whip of Parliament Dinesh Gunawardena at a ceremony at Waters Edge on February 1. The Order, Orden de Isabel la Católica, was created in March 1815 by King Ferdinand VII of Spain in honour of Queen Isabella I of Castile.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardena receiving the award. Picture by Saman Sri Wedage

It is a Spanish civil order granted in recognition of an extraordinary civil action by Spanish or foreign citizens that benefit the nation or for a person who makes a significant contribution to the promotion of friendly relations and cooperation between Spain and the rest of the international community.

Minister Gunawardena is the founder member and current President of the Spanish- Sri Lanka Friendship Society.

King of Spain, currently Juan Carlos I, is Grand Master of the Order. The Chancellor of the Order is the Foreign Affairs Minister. All deeds granting decorations of the Order must bear the signatures of both.

Among the notable members of the Order are American inventor and painter Samuel Morse (1859), First Lady of Argentina Eva Duarte de Perón (1947), Empress of Iran Farah Pahlavi (1969), Sultan of Oman Qaboon bin Said al Said (1985), King of Nepal Gyanendra (1987), President of Philippines Fidel V. Ramos (1995), Prime minister of Hungary Ferenc Gyurcsány (2007), President and First Lady of Romania (2007) and President of Mexico Felipe Calderón (2008). The minister was decorated by ambassador of Spain to Sri Lanka Gusthwe Ve Aristegu in the presence of dignitaries, ambassadors, ministers, Members of Parliament, embassy representatives and friends and relatives of the minister. Governor Alawi Mawlana, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, John Seneviratna, Athauda Seneviratna, Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakody, MPs Ananda Sangari, Lakshman Seneviratna, Vidura Wickramanayka and Ajith Perera were present.