Sri Lanka to strengthen bilateral relations with Singapore

The newly appointed High Commissioner-designate of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Singapore, Sashikala Premawardhane assumed duties at the Mission today, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore said.

Her assumption of duties was marked by a simple ceremony that began with the lighting of traditional oil lamp, followed by religious observances and chanting of Pirith by Maha Sangha.

Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner-designate Sashikala Premawardhane set out her plans for strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Singapore, and emphasised the need for vigorous promotion of trade and investment between the two countries.

High Commissioner-designate Premawardhane joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998, and her appointments in Colombo include a secondment at the Ministry of Defence as Senior Assistant Secretary (Foreign Affairs) as well as several key appointments in the Foreign Ministry including Director/United Nations, Multilateral Affairs, Human Rights and Conferences, Director/Technical Cooperation, and Deputy Director/Economic Affairs.

Overseas, High Commissioner-designate Premawardhane has served as Minister at the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra and as Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Australia. She also served in the Sri Lanka Embassy in Tokyo as First Secretary.

High Commissioner-designate Premawardhane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Pune, India and a Masters in Conflict and Peace Studies from the University of Colombo. She is a past pupil of Bishop?s College, Colombo. (Colombo Gazette)