COLOMBO: The newly-elected office bearers of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service Association (SLFSA) met the Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on 1 February at the Minister’s Bureau of the Foreign Ministry. A number of key areas, including ways in which the SLFSA can contribute to the development process of the country and the key challenges faced by the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) officers were discussed during this meeting.
Introducing the office bearers of the SLFSA to the Minister, the President of the Association Wishwanath Aponsu highlighted key areas in which the Foreign Service can get actively involved in within the context of generating goodwill among Sri Lankans residing overseas and thereby soliciting their support to the development of the country. In response, while extending wishes to the new office bearers in their endeavours, the Minister commended the mammoth contribution made by the members of the SLFS for projecting the country’s image abroad.
The Minister also highlighted that the contribution of the diplomatic service aligned with the Government development policy should be enhanced by providing the members of the SLFS the opportunities for self-development. Minister Gunawardena also extended to the SLFSA his assurances on having a holistic approach to address the grievances faced by the officers of the SLFS, in line with the policy of the government.
The newly-elected office bearers of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service Association (SLFSA):
President: Wishwanath Aponsu
Secretary: Chathura Weerasekara
Treasurer: Sanju Dassanayake
Vice President: Rohana Ambagolla
Assistant Secretary: Nipuni Samarasinghe
Assistant Treasurer: Sachini Dias
Committee Members– Sumith Dassanayake, Thushara Rodrigo, Supun Deshaprema.
