Representative of Sri Lanka to the State of Palestine Nawalage Bennet Cooray presented Letters
of Credence to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine Dr. Riad Al-Malki at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Ramallah, Palestine on 03 August, 2021.
During the meeting, that followed the presentation of Letters of Credence, Minister Al-Malki
appreciated the longstanding ties with Sri Lanka and stated that Palestine is keen to expand the
scope of bilateral cooperation in various aspects, especially with the development projects of the
Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA) and reactivating the Sri Lankan project
“the Mahinda Rajapaksa Vocational Training Centre in Beitunia”.
Representative Cooray conveying greetings and best wishes from Foreign Minister Dinesh
Gunawardena to Minister Al-Malki, expressed the commitment of Sri Lanka to further advance
and strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Representative Cooray pointed out that due to the prevailing global pandemic, it would take a
while to process the starting of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Vocational Training Centre.
Minister Al-Malki expressed his gratitude for the support extended and the stance of the Sri
Lankan Government on the Palestinian cause and Palestinian people in all international fora.
Representative Cooray stressed the solidarity that Sri Lanka shares with Palestine and its people
and their right to establish an independent state. He expressed his willingness to strength the
special relations nurtured between Sri Lanka and Palestine covering a multitude of areas.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
09 August 2021