Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena is set to visit the UK later this month, as part of a trip to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London.
Mr Sirisena “will be focused on reaffirming Sri Lanka’s firm commitment to the Commonwealth and deepening Sri Lanka’s partnership with the Organisation as well as with each individual member nation” said a Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release.
During his visit, the Sri Lankan president will also address the Commonwealth Business Forum as the keynote speaker on 18 April, speaking on the theme of “Delivering the SDGs: Aligning Business, Society and the Governments”.
He is to be accompanied by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana and a business delegation from the island.During his 2015 visit to the UK, Mr Sirisena me with then British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said that meaningful engagement with the OHCHR Investigation in Sri Lanka is central to continued support from the UK. Writing in the Tamil Guardian at the time, British Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated his commitment to ensuring those responsible for war crimes in Sri Lanka are held accountable and said he would press the Mr Sirisena, to deliver on his commitments.Hundreds of British Tamils also demonstrated against the presence of Mr Sirisena at Commonwelath Day events.