Lankans in Georgia praise embassy outreach program
Philip Fernando
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Embassy staff with Sri Lankan community members in Georgia.
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US Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya praised members of the Sri Lankan
Diaspora for their support for the nation's post-conflict development
and reconciliation efforts during a day-long meeting in Atlanta,
Georgia.
He expressed gratitude to the Sri Lankan community for their
commitment to Sri Lanka both during the recently concluded conflict with
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as well as afterward. In line with
the Government's initiative in reaching out to the Sri Lankans living
abroad, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C., in collaboration
with the Sri Lankan community in the State of Georgia, organized a one
day "Community Outreach Program" on November 14.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya said the Sri Lankan Government is ardently
pursuing reconciliation among its people, both home and abroad. "The Sri
Lankan community living in the US actively supported the Government's
effort of defeating the LTTE and to counter pro-LTTE activities in the
United States," Wickramasuriya said.
Dr. A. Amarasinghe, in his welcome address, thanked the Ambassador
and Embassy Staff for their outreach efforts as it was the first-ever
meeting between an Ambassador and the Sri Lankan community in Georgia.
The Ambassador said it was, "the first occasion senior diplomats
visited the State of Georgia to reach out to the Sri Lankan community to
provide consular assistance, information on Trade and Investment
opportunities and post-conflict development programme currently
undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka."
The one-day community outreach program was part of the Embassy's
campaign to meet Sri Lankans living throughout the US to discuss
post-conflict development, peace and reconciliation. Embassy Officials
provided information to the community on opportunities available in
trade, investment and tourism sector, Treasury Bonds/Bills, Non Resident
Foreign Currency and Resident Foreign Currency accounts and attended
inquiries on issuing passports, dual citizenship issues and other
consular related services.
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