Commonwealth Secretary General in SL this week

The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow for a four-day official visit. 

This will be her first visit to the country since she assumed the Office of Secretary-General in April 2016.

On 1 August, the Secretary-General will call on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and meet Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana. Her meetings on 2 and 3 August will include the Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama, Minister of Provincial Councils, Local Government and Sports Faiszer Musthapha, Minister of Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayake, Minister of Public Administration and Management, and Law and Order Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, and the Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan.  

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 Meeting (CHOGM) in London, including promoting intra-Commonwealth 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.