By Allaam Ousman
DUBAI: The Consulate General of Sri Lanka for Dubai & the Northern Emirates will celebrate the 70th Independence Day of Sri Lanka with a mega event in the UAE titled ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ at Zabeel Park in Dubai on Friday, 9 February from 10am to 11pm.
It will be a ‘double’ celebration for the Sri Lankan community as the ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ will not only mark the country’s 70th anniversary since gaining independence from British rule on February 4th but also the 25th year of the establishment of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka of Dubai & the Northern Emirates in the UAE.
Among the many entertainment and informative activities lined up for both Sri Lankan residents in the UAE, Emiratis and the other nationals alike are cultural shows, stalls regarding Sri Lankan property solutions and cuisine, free medical camps, free legal advice centers, employment related queries, blood and eye donation camps, a special photography competition on Sri Lankan cuisine called “Suupachaya” and a grand musical show, featuring renowned Sri Lankan singers.
Sri Lanka-UAE Friendship Walk
The highlight of the ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’, the first major official National Day celebration of this nature, ever to be held in the UAE, will be the Sri Lanka-UAE Friendship Walk to kick-off the events at the ‘Mega Bowl’ in Zabeel Park.
“Sri Lanka gained independence from Great Britain on February 4th in 1948. Seventy years is a significant time period. We have another significant event. The Consulate General Office is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of establishing in Dubai. We are celebrating two milestones in the UAE in association with all the Sri Lankan community in Dubai & the Northern Emirates by staging a mega event. It is the first time the Consulate General’s Office with all communities in the UAE is hosting this ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ which will be the largest Sri Lankan celebration ever to be held in the UAE,” said Charitha Yattogoda, Consul General of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka for Dubai & the Northern Emirates who assumed duties in the UAE in October 2015.
“It will be a fun-filled day for Sri Lankan families and also foreigners. There will be a number of Sri Lankan stalls from property developers to banking and non-banking sectors. Many Sri Lankan business establishments will come over to Dubai to display the various services and products they can offer to the Sri Lankan community in the UAE. It will be a meeting point for the Sri Lankans who want to enjoy the benefit of an array of property options with financial facilities. Apart from that, there will be a number of Sri Lankan restaurants for visitors to enjoy throughout the day,” the Consul General said in an exclusive interview.
Free camps
The ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ will cater to people from all walks of life. Speaking on the main arrangements to be made on the day, he said: “There will be free medical camps, legal advisory camps, free eye testing and free give away spectacles for needy people. There will be a cultural segment and a musical show with one of the leading Sri Lankan music band in attendance supported by the leading mainstream Sri Lankan artistes”.
The main highlights of ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ are free spectacle and blood donation camps and the friendship walk as a gesture of appreciation and an expression of gratitude by the expatriate Sri Lankans to their UAE hosts, “The donation camp is to show our gratitude to the UAE and the walk is to show our solidarity with the UAE,” said Mr. Yattogoda, a seasoned diplomat, who has served in capital cities such as Paris, Myanmar and Seoul.
Mr. Yattogoda also highlighted the strong bilateral and trade relations that exist between Sri Lanka and the UAE.
“We established diplomatic relations in 1979 and have been enjoying very cordial political and commercial relations. There are an estimated 250,000 Sri Lankan migrant workers in the UAE employed as Quantiy Surveyors, Accountants, Engineers, Managers, bankers, and in many other fields, out of which around 25 per cent are the blue collar workers who have contributed tremendously to the country. Sri Lankans are happy to live here and we are grateful to the hospitality extended by the UAE government,” he said.
Trade statistics reflect strong ties
Mr. Yattogoda, whose specialization is Economics & international Trade, said that commercial relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka have reached an all-time high.
Reeling out trade statistics for 2016, he said:“The bilateral trade between the two countries has gone beyond $1.34 billion. Sri Lanka exported $275 million worth of goods to the UAE and imported over $1 billion worth of goods from the UAE. A number of UAE investors have come to Sri Lanka such as Al Futtaim, Etisalat and Galadari to name a few,” he said.
“Our bilateral relations were further cemented when His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saeed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation visited Sri Lanka in 2017,” he pointed out.
Remittances
Mr. Yattogoda also highlighted the fact that the huge contribution of foreign remittances from the Middle East in particular contributed to the Sri Lankan economy.
“I reckon that foreign remittances contribute immensely towards the development of our country. If you look at Sri Lanka’s balance of trade in general, our exports are worth USD 10.3 billion while our imports stand at $19.4 billion. Foreign remittances play a major role in bridging this gap. In 2016, remittances amounted to USD 7.2 billion from all over the world while from the Middle East alone it was over USD 3.9 billion, which is more than 50 per cent. This shows the significant contribution made by our Sri Lankan migrant community particularly at a time when development is taking place in all spheres including infrastructure in Sri Lanka. Remittances are vital to develop the country and take it to the next level. We have to appreciate the major contribution made by our migrant community which is inevitably a key factor for the country’s future development,” he said.
Mr. Yattogoda stressed that ‘Sri Lankan Day 2018’ is a gift to the Sri Lankan community in the UAE.
“It is a very important occasion. We are celebrating two milestones. I’m very proud that Sri Lankans in Dubai & the Northern Emirates contributed immensely to the development of the UAE economy while playing a major role in developing Sri Lanka’s economy. I’m happy to note that they are holding key positions in the UAE, showing the significance of Sri Lanka. This event is a gift for all of them to come and celebrate in grand style and scale the relationship the two countries have been enjoying for the last several decades,” Mr. Yattogoda concluded.
