President breaks the ice!

I have been eagerly waiting to see a Sri Lankan leader visiting Saudi Arabia or any one of the six Gulf countries for the last 46 years I have been here. Every time an international leader lands in Riyadh, I get this thought refreshed in mind.

In early January 2020, His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi invited our then newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to visit the UAE. The Crown Prince affirmed then his expectation for expanding the bilateral relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka. The two parties agreed that this visit would be a great opportunity to discuss the common interests of the two nations. However, it never happened until recently, when our president broke the ice to be the first Sri Lankan leader to visit a gulf country with his visit to UAE. We wish this will not be the first and the last, but will be extended to all other gulf countries.

His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka during his visit to the country’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. During the meeting, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid expressed the UAE’s keenness to boost bilateral relations with all friendly countries based on the principles of trust, mutual respect and cooperation.

Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid also visited the Nigeria Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai today, where he met President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.

The Sri Lankan President congratulated Sheik Mohammed on the UAE’s 50th National Day. President Rajapaksa highlighted the UAE’s prominent status both regionally and globally, its capabilities across various sectors, and the UAE leadership’s keenness to expand bilateral cooperation with nations around the world.

During his visit to the Sri Lanka Pavilion, located in the ‘Opportunity District’, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid was briefed on Sri Lanka’s developmental efforts in various social and economic sectors, as well as in the cultural field.

Building strong relations with the gulf countries, where a large number of Sri Lankans are working and from where the country benefits the largest inflow of foreign exchange, is extremely important. Finally, we thank the president for making this visit.

S. H. MOULANA