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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sinhala: විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්යාංශය Vidhesha Katayuthu Amathyanshaya; Tamil: வெளிநாட்டலுவல்கள் அமைச்சு) (also known as the Foreign Ministry or External Affairs Ministry) is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for conducting and managing Sri Lanka's foreign relations[1] through oversight of its missions abroad via the Sri Lanka Overseas Service, as well as drafting and general implementation of the nation's foreign policy.[2]
| විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්යාංශය வெளிநாட்டலுவல்கள் அமைச்சு | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1948 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Sri Lanka |
| Headquarters | Republic Building, Colombo 1 6°56′15″N 79°50′40″E / 6.937517°N 79.844308°E |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Child agencies | |
| Website | mfa.gov.lk |
History
editThe ministry was formally established in 1948[3] following the independence of Ceylon as the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, coming under the direct control of the Prime Minister of Ceylon. In 1977 the government led by J.R Jayawardena divided the ministry in two, forming the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs.[4] A.C.S Hameed was appointed as the first minister of External Affairs on 23 July 1977.[5]
Overseas missions
editThe ministry has 65 overseas missions including 13 High Commissions, a Deputy High Commission, 37 Embassies, 2 Permanent Representations to the United Nations, 11 consulates and a representative office. It provides consular assistance to Sri Lankans traveling, working and studying overseas.
Divisions
edit- General Administration Division
- Overseas Administration Division
- Consular Affairs Division
- Protocol Division
- Public Diplomacy Division
- Economic Affairs Division
- Finance Division
- IT Division
- Legal Division
- United Nations and Multilateral Affairs Division
- South Asia and SAARC Division
- Middle East and Africa Division
- Europe, Americas and CIS Division
- East Asia and Pacific Division
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
editSecretaries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
editInformally referred to as the Foreign Secretary.
- W. T. Jayasinghe, SLAS (1977-1989)
- Bernard Tilakaratna, SLOS (1989-1994)
- Rodney Vandergert, SLOS (1994-1997)[6]
- Wilhelm Woutersz, SLOS (1997-1999)[7]
- Lionel Fernando, SLAS
- G. Wijesiri, SLOS
- Nihal Rodrigo, SLOS
- B. A. B. Goonetilleke, SLOS
- H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, SLOS
- Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona
- Karunatilaka Amunugama, SLOS
- Kshenuka Seneviratne, SLOS
- Esala Weerakoon, SLOS
- Prasad Kariyawasam, SLOS
- Ravinatha Aryasinha, SLOS
- Jayanath Colombage, SLOS
- Aruni Wijewardane
- Aruni Ranaraja
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Organizations". gic.gov.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Foreign ministry launches contact Sri Lanka online portal for overseas Sri Lankan's in collaboration with ICTA | Embassy of Srilanka - Paris". srilankaembassy.fr. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Brief Overview of Sri Lanka's Foreign Relations to Post-Independence – Foreign Ministry – Sri Lanka". Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ Venugopal, Rajesh. "The Politics of Market Reform at a Time of Ethnic Conflict: Sri Lanka in the Jayewardene Years" (PDF).
- ^ "Former Foreign Ministers". MFA.gov.lk. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ Bandara, M.H.M.N. (7 October 2007). "Invest further for a fruitful harvest". SundayObserver.lk. Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ Wilhelm Woutersz, BY J. B. Muller