President opens new Sri Lankan HC in Uganda

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is on his second official visit to Uganda. The last visit was to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2007.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni opened the new Sri Lankan High Commission in Kampala, Uganda last morning. The new Sri Lankan High Commission in Uganda is the 62nd Sri Lankan diplomatic mission abroad and the sixth in the African continent.

The last three were opened during President Rajapaksa’s tenure. Both Presidents were received at the opening ceremony by the non-resident High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Uganda T. Raveenthiran and Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Uganda V. Kananathan.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam K. Kutesa spoke to the mainly Sri Lankan audience who had gathered for the occasion. President Rajapaksa also launched the Sri Lankan funded project to upgrade the Masulita Vocational Training Center. In an agreement signed during President Musevni’s visit last year, Sri Lanka consented to provide $1.5 million to improve this facility.

President Rajapaka and the delegation arrived in Uganda on on Friday, May 10. The Sri Lankan and Ugandan delegations held bilateral talks yesterday at the State House in the town of Entebbe. The discussions focused on the economic, trade and power and energy sectors. President Rajapaksa also agreed to a request by his Ugandan counterpart, seeking help for the development of apparel sector drawing lessons from Sri Lankan success story, in Uganda.

The Ugandan President hosted the Sri Lankan delegation for a State Banquet yesterday at the Entebbe State Palace.

This is President Rajapaksa’s second official visit to Uganda. The last visit was to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2007. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni visited Sri Lanka last November. External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Monitoring MP for Ministry of External Affairs Sajin de Vaas Gunawardena and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga are among the Sri Lankan officials accompanying the President on his official visit.