This year’s commemoration of our country’s independence is of singular importance as it comes at a time when Sri Lanka is engaged in the task of nation building.

Sri Lanka is blessed with many features that promise a bright future for its citizens. Its literacy rate of 91.3 percent is a remarkable achievement, which goes down to the grassroots of society. 2.07 percent of the GDP is spent on the education sector. The other social indicators are outstanding: Life expectancy at birth for females is 77.09 years and for males 70.03 years, respectively. The country’s human development index stands at 0.742. With a per capita income of $2,053, Sri Lanka ranks as a middle-income country.

I am happy to note that the trajectory of relations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia has been excellent and ever improving as the years roll by. Over 500,000 of our nationals work here in various capacities. It is indeed a pleasure 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 occupying senior posts, thus reflecting their level of competence and recognition.

To be of utmost service to our community is one of the most important goals of our embassy. To facilitate the Sri Lankan expatriate community, consular services at the mission have been extended on Thursdays in addition to the normal working week. A monthly mobile service is conducted in the Eastern Province. The Sri Lanka Consulate General’s office in Jeddah similarly has mobile services in Madinah, Abha, Najran, Jazan, Tabuk and Yanbu, while being open for consular services on Thursdays. We remain committed to providing an expanding consular service for the benefit of the Sri Lankan community in every manner possible.

The tourism sector constitutes one of the core areas of growth. With the dawn of the peace in Sri Lanka, the flow of tourists from Saudi Arabia has increased dramatically with 9,300 visiting the country in 2010, thus constituting a 39 percent increase over the figure for 2009. The embassy organized a five-member group of journalists from the print and electronic media of Saudi Arabia to visit Sri Lanka in June. And this has considerably helped in popularizing Sri Lanka as a tourism destination in this country. The country’s tourist attractions, in particular its green herbaceous and romantic hill country and exotic beaches, combined with attractively priced world-class hotels will surely draw the Saudi traveler in greater numbers this year. An indication of the exponential flow of tourists to Sri Lanka is well signaled by the decision of the Shangrilla and Movenpick hotel chains to commence operations shortly. The redevelopment of the Eastern Coast will make the country a year-round destination.

Air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia is excellent. With seven flights a week by SriLankan Airlines from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and five flights weekly by Saudi Arabian Airlines from Riyadh and Jeddah, combined with the fact that Sri Lanka is only five-and-a-half hours away in terms of travel time, is another factor that has greatly appealed to the Saudi traveler in choosing it as a holiday destination.

Tea constitutes nearly 45 percent of Sri Lanka’s exports to Saudi Arabia. Apparel, fruit and vegetables, and rubber products are the other three leading exports that have found great demand in the Saudi market. We envisage expanding our export portfolio both in terms of volume and product range this year by a coordinated strategy of promotion.

Sri Lanka has free trade agreements with India and Pakistan permitting the manufacture in Sri Lanka and export of 4,500 products on zero duty tariff to each of these countries having a combined population of over 1.3 billion. This surely should be of value to Saudi entrepreneurs.

Pilgrims from Sri Lanka have been performing the sacred requirement of Haj in centuries past and over 5,800 of them were afforded with the opportunity of performing the pilgrimage in 2009. I convey the appreciation of the government of Sri Lanka to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for making all arrangements and conveniences in this regard.

On this auspicious occasion of the 63rd anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka, I express my deep appreciation for the great friendship and cooperation extended by the government and people of Saudi Arabia in consolidating bilateral relations between our two countries. I am sure that these ties would expand in the years to come.