The Government of Sri Lanka donated a sum of US $ 25,000/- as an emergency relief for the recent flood victims of the Republic of Tajikistan. The cheque for the above sum was handed over by the concurrently accredited Sri Lanka Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan, Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, after presentation of his Credentials to H.E. Mr Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan today, 23 November 2009.
The Credentials Ceremony was held in the President's House in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The Government of Sri Lanka recognized the Republic of Tajikistan as an independent state in 1992, after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Sri Lanka and the Republic of Tajikistan established diplomatic relations in April 2001. The Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Islamabad is concurrently accredited as Sri Lanka Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan. Meanwhile, the Tajikistan Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. The Government of Tajikistan had extended their full support to Sri Lanka, on many occasions in the recent past, on bilateral and multilateral issues in the international fora.
Also, the Government of Sri Lanka has taken many measures to develop bilateral activities, especially, among the Central Asian countries including Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Turkmenistan.
Under the direction of H.E. the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa and with the coordination of Hon. Rohitha Bogolloagama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Sri Lanka has provided emergency relief to several countries, including to earthquake victims in China in 2007, and earthquake victims in Pakistan in 2005.
The visiting Sri Lanka Ambassador is scheduled to meet high level dignitaries in Tajikistan, including the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, Minister of Energy & Industry and Minister of Economic Development & Trade, to develop more bilateral trade, tourism and economic diplomacy with the Government of Tajikistan.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
Islamabad
