St Kitts and Nevis establishes diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka

The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis?and the Republic of?Sri Lanka have formally established diplomatic relations.

The process required the signing of a joint communique by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka?to the United Nations, Mohan Pieris, and his counterpart?Ian McDonald Liburd, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of?St Kitts and Nevis?to the UN.

The signing symbolised a commitment to further the existing relationship between the two nations and co-operate in the political, socio-economic, and cultural fields. Besides being small island nations,?Sri Lanka?and?St Kitts and Nevis?also share the same love for cricket ? a national sport in both countries.

In recent years,?St Kitts and Nevis?has expanded its global presence by signing visa-free waivers and establishing diplomatic relations.

Last year, Foreign Minister?Mark Brantley highlighted the ongoing expanding international relation achievements: “[This] means we have added 26 new countries with a full visa waiver and two with partial visa waiver in the last five years. We have also broadened our diplomatic footprint with 37 new formal diplomatic relations in that same time.”

Though one of the smallest nations in the Western Hemisphere,?St Kitts and Nevis’?reach and influence continues to grow globally. As the first nation to implement a Citizenship by Investment Programme in 1984, the dual islands have pioneered the investment migration industry, influencing governments worldwide to implement their own adaption of the programme.

The initiative allows wealthy individuals and their families to acquire?St Kitts and Nevis’?citizenship once they invest in the Sustainable Growth Fund. The fund is designed to support national development projects across the islands in areas such as healthcare, education, tourism, and more. In exchange, the applicant obtains citizenship and the right to live, work, and study in the nation, along with visa-free access to nearly 160 destinations across the world.

Ensuring that a nation’s passport remains strong is crucial to offering an attractive CBI Programme. Business-minded individuals want to be able to access global markets to keep business competitive.?St Kitts and Nevis’ passport ranks 26 globally, one of the strongest within the region, surpassing larger and more developed nations. (Colombo Gazette)