High Commissioner Gunasekera conveyed the greetings and best wishes of H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka. President of Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hamid reciprocated, conveying his greetings to H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka. President Hamid said the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are excellent and hoped that the relations would be strengthened further during the tenure of the High Commissioner. He stressed the need for gearing up the activities of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Trade for boosting bilateral trade and investment for the mutual benefits of the two countries. The President also underscored the need for exchanging delegations between the two countries for increasing trade and investment.
He also remembered with fondness his own visits to Sri Lanka as Speaker of Bangladesh and Deputy Speaker.
The bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh whilst founded on historical linkages and social; cultural and linguistic similarities has expanded over the years. It is now a dynamic and multifaceted partnership in the strategically vital Bay of Bengal area. Many prominent Sri Lankan companies have invested in Bangladesh and are successfully doing business with Bangladesh. The Sri Lankan community in Bangladesh is now around 5000 strong, including business leaders, UN officials; university students and managers in the garment industry.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cooperate in regional and international fora including the UN, the Commonwealth, SAARC, IORA and BIMSTEC.
High Commissioner Gunasekera informed President Hamid that economic diplomacy is becoming central to Sri Lanka’s foreign policy and that she will work actively towards deepening and diversifying trade between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as attracting more investment from Bangladesh. There is huge tourism potential also, as Bangladesh is home to a significant number of high net worth individuals who travel both regionally and internationally.
High Commissioner Gunasekera is a career diplomat with over 19 years of service, having served in Sri Lanka’s High Commission in New Delhi, Embassy in Washington, Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and as the first Consul General for Sri Lanka in Guangzhou (Canton), China. She holds an LLB (Hons.) degree from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and a Masters Degree in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University in Australia. She is a past student of C.M.S. Ladies’ College, Colombo.
