On the occasion of Sri Lanka’s 62nd Independence Day it is indeed an honor for me to extend warm and fraternal greetings to my fellow Sri Lankan compatriots. That honor is indeed doubled since I do so as the newly arrived ambassador in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This year’s commemoration of Sri Lanka’s Independence marks a watershed in our history since it comes at a time when we, as a nation, are at complete peace after having finally succeeded in ending terrorism which had plagued the country for nearly three decades. We have won the war and now we have embarked on a campaign of winning the peace. In this effort all Sri Lankans have a role to play.

Sri Lanka is blessed with many indigenous resources. Its literacy rate of 91% is a remarkable achievement which goes down to the grass roots of society. The GDP’s 2.3 % is spent on the education sector. The other social indicators are outstanding: Life expectancy at birth for females is 75.8 years and for males 68.2 years respectively. The country’s Human Development Index stands at 0.742. With a Per Capita Income of $2000, Sri Lanka is a middle income country.

I am happy to note that relations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia have been excellent over the years. Over 500,000 of our nationals work here in various capacities. I am pleased to note that they are contributing their effort for the well being of this country. Some of them have been here for over three decades in very responsible senior posts and this indicates their level of acceptance in Saudi Arabia and indeed their competence.

To facilitate the Sri Lankan expatriate community, consular service hours at the Embassy in Riyadh are being extended on Thursdays in addition to the normal working week. A mobile service is conducted in the Eastern Province on a monthly basis. The Sri Lanka Consulate General’s office in Jeddah is doing likewise and has a mobile service in Tabuk. We remain committed to providing an expanded consular service for the benefit of the Sri Lankan community in the near future.

A number of important bilateral visits took place last year from Sri Lanka. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and the Deputy Minister of Higher Education visited Saudi Arabia while the State Minister of Foreign Affairs and a senior representative of the Saudi Fund for Development visited Sri Lanka.

For many years, the focus of Sri Lanka tourism had been on its traditional markets in Europe. In recent times, there has been a diversification whereby the country’s tourism potential is being promoted vigorously in new markets such as China, Russia and the Middle East. Shortly a tourism promotion campaign will be launched in Saudi Arabia which is regarded as having great potential.

With the dawn of peace in Sri Lanka, the flow of tourists from Saudi Arabia has increased dramatically with over 5,000 visiting the country in the last six months of 2009. My Embassy is in the process of drawing up a plan of promoting Sri Lanka as a prime destination for Saudi Arabian tourists.

Sri Lanka with its exotic beaches, green mountains, varying temperatures and excellent hotels all over the country, and a recorded history of 2500 years with the monumental work of its rulers as old as 1000 years, still standing, the country offers visitors value for money. The opening up of the East Coast with the launching of a tourism development plan makes the country a year round destination. This part of its coastline is legendary for its turquoise and shallow waters which make activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling extremely interesting. One of the world’s most picturesque natural harbours, Trincomalee, is also located in this region.

Sri Lanka as a destination has been traditionally known for its sun, sea and sand. In keeping with the expanded leisure requirements of the modern day traveller we are now promoting culture, heritage, adventure and wellness based tourism. New resorts are also being planned to cater to the increasing tourism inflows.

With eight flights a week by the national carrier SriLankan Airlines and four flights a week by Saudi Arabian Airlines already in place, connectivity has been well established offering the opportunity for Saudi nationals to travel to Sri Lanka with ease and convenience.

My embassy looks forward earnestly to working with our Saudi Arabian hosts to diversify the already existing warm bilateral relations to numerous other areas of common endeavor including trade and Foreign Direct Investment.

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Sri Lanka has signed Free Trade Agreements with India and Pakistan enabling the manufacture in Sri Lanka and export of 4,500 products on zero duty tariff. I am sure this would be of great interest to Saudi Arabian businessmen to consider setting up a manufacturing base in Sri Lanka to cater to a combined population of over 1.3 billion in the sub-continent.

According to the latest survey conducted by the US-based Economist Intelligence Unit, Sri Lanka is ranked eighth among the top 10 fastest economies in the world, expected to record a 6.3% GDP growth rate in 2010; the second highest in the Asian region.

Last year alone, Sri Lanka attracted Foreign Direct Investments to the value of $889 million worldwide. The country is one of the most expatriate friendly locations offering a range of facilities for foreigners to live and work in, such as an array of international schools, modern recreation facilities, medical facilities and an excellent and diverse choice of residential facilities.

Tea constitutes 60% of Sri Lanka’s exports to Saudi Arabia. We envisage to expand our export portfolio both in terms of volume and product range this year by a coordinated strategy of promotion.

Pilgrims from Sri Lanka have been performing the sacred requirement of Haj. Over 5,000 Sri Lankan Muslims had the opportunity of performing the pilgrimage in Makkah in 2009. I place on record the appreciation of the Government of Sri Lanka for the steps taken by the Government of Saudi Arabia to make all necessary arrangements in this connection.

On Jan. 26 Sri Lanka elected His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a second term in office. This is a continuation of the right to vote exercised by the Sri Lankan people which has an unbroken history of 80 years. It is extremely important to underscore that this election marks a watershed in the country’s history since it was the first exercise of universal adult franchise by the voter on a nationwide basis after the country had been finally freed from the shackles of terrorism that had threatened its sovereignty, territorial integrity.

Sri Lanka would continue its foreign policy which is based on the principle of friendship with all countries.

On this auspicious occasion, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the excellent cooperation and friendship extended by the Government and People of Saudi Arabia in the development of bilateral relations with Sri Lanka. I am confident that these warm ties would assist in no small way in expanding the areas of cooperation between our two countries in the years to come.

Ahmed A. Jawad

Ambassador for Sri Lanka

in Saudi Arabia