LONDON, March 2020: The new High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom Saroja Sirisena assumed duties on 2 March 2020. She was received upon arrival at the London Heathrow Airport by the Special Representative of the UK Foreign Secretary Kathryn Colvin.
Prior to assumption of duties, religious observances and chanting of seth pirith was conducted by the Chief Incumbent of the London Buddhist Vihara and the Chief Sangha Nayake of Great Britain the Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala Thero at the London Buddhist Vihara.
Addressing the High Commission staff, High Commissioner Sirisena emphasised the importance of working as a team to advance the national interests and welfare of Sri Lankans, and to further enhance the friendly relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
High Commissioner Sirisena joined the Sri Lanka Foreign service in 1998 and served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Vienna immediately prior to her appointment in London.
She also served as the Director General, Economic Affairs, Director General, Public Diplomacy and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Director General for External Relations in the Ministry of Economic Development of Sri Lanka, Director, South Asia and Director, Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka.
Her previous diplomatic posts include Minister, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Minister Counsellor, Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels and First Secretary, Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris.
Saroja Sirisena holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia and has completed post graduate studies at the École nationale d’Administration in France. She is a past pupil of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.
