Speaking to nine newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioner, he urged them to take new initiatives and adopt new thinking to get economic benefits to the country.
He asked the new envoys to strictly follow the foreign policy of peace and nonalignment, which has won the respect of the world.
He also urged them to work with the Sri Lankan community in their countries and get their help to promote Sri Lanka’s interests. He also stressed the need to get more skilled jobs, investment and also development cooperation.
The Prime Minister advised the new envoys to Bangkok, Hanoi, Beijing and Yangon to promote Buddhist tourism.
New envoys were U L M Jauhar (Canada), O L Ameer Ajwad (Saudi Arabia), MajinthgaJayasinghe (China), T P Dharmasena (Poland), Kapila Fonseka (Sweden), T P N Gunasekera (Netherlands), Wijayanthi Edirisinghe (Thailand), Poshitha Perera (Vietnam) and P A P Ponnamperuma (Myanmar).
Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Media and International Affairs Advisor Sugeeswara Senadhira and Private Secretary C Kuruppu also took part in the discussion.