New Lankan Ambassador Wellawatte presents credentials to Italian President

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Italy Jagath Wellawatte presented his Letters of Credence to Italian Republic President Sergio Mattarella at the Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome recently.

Following the presentation of Letters of Credence, Ambassador Jagath Wellawatte conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to President Sergio Mattarella, the Government and people of the Italian Republic.  

Immediately after the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Jagath Wellawatte was granted an opportunity for a tête-à-tête meeting with President Sergio Mattarella during which Ambassador Wellawatte expressed his commitment to continue to improve bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Italy at all levels. 

Ambassador Wellawatte indicated that Italy is the home away home for a large number of Sri Lankan expatriate communities, who have contributed immensely to the development of Sri Lanka and Italy alike. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Italian government for hosting a large number of Sri Lankan expatriates in Italy, in particular, for paying special attention to the welfare of the community during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ambassador Wellawatte expressed his mission to enhance the existing relations and cooperation in the areas of bilateral relations, culture, trade, investment, labour and education. While seeking support from the Italian authorities to get training opportunities for the Sri Lankan workforce towards enhancing their skills and knowledge, the Ambassador expressed his desire to expand cooperation and partnership in the education sector, focusing on the younger generation for the mutual benefit of both countries.

President Sergio Mattarella, while conveying his greetings to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, stated that he was very impressed by the presence of a large number of Sri Lankan expatriates in Italy in various sectors and their contribution to the development of the country. The President affirmed Italy’s support for joint efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in diverse sectors between the two countries. Ambassador Wellawatte is an academic in the field of Sociology. He has a lengthy history in the capacity of driving national policy through an academic career as a senior lecturer of sociology for nearly 30 years and is an avid researcher in various fields of sociology. He also has corporate experience spanning across various fields, encompassing high-level decision making within the private sector, to policy making at the national level.

Ambassador Wellawatte earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Colombo in 1987. He had been serving as a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Sociology of the University of Colombo immediately prior to his appointment as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Italy. 

His previous prestigious positions include Chairman of Sri Lanka Insurance Cooperation, Chairman of State Mortgage and Investment Bank, Chairman of National Child Protection Authority, Chairman of Foreign Employment Bureau of Sri Lanka, Director of the Lanka Hospitals Cooperation PLC, Member of the Council of the Gampaha Wickramarachchi of Indigenous Medicine University. 

Further, he has published a number of academic papers on various subjects and engaged in research in economic, political and social fields. He also has authored many books in sociology. Ambassador Wellawatte is married to Shalika Fernando and has four children.