Mr. Esala Weerakoon has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India.

Mr. Weerakoon is a member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service batch of 1988 and has served in the Sri Lanka Missions in France, UK, Malaysia, Australia, Japan and USA. He served as Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka’s Missions in Australia and USA and as Ambassador in Norway. He is presently an Additional Secretary and is working on secondment at the Ministry of Housing and Samurdhi.

Mrs. Aruni Ranaraja has been appointed as the next Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Philippines.

Mrs. Ranaraja is a member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service batch of 1996 and has served in Sri Lanka’s Missions in Belgium, Thailand, Russia, and Italy. At present she is the Director General of the Africa Division of this Ministry.

Dr. Saman Weerasinghe has been appointed as the next Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation.

Dr. Weerasinghe is a Doctor of Medicine from the Moscow Medical University. Dr. Weerasinghe has been closely associated with strengthening economic and social cooperation between Russia and Sri Lanka. He has held the post of Vice President of the Russia- Sri Lanka Friendship Society and is presently the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka – Russia Friendship Society and has been awarded the “Order of Honour of the Russian Federation*” and other awards for his work. Dr. Weerasinghe is presently the Chairman of the Mos-Lanka Holdings group of companies.

Accordingly, with the appointments that were just announced, 22 Heads of Mission designate have received agréEment and concurrence of the respective receiving States. They are expected to take up their posts shortly, the Spokesperson said.

Some of the Ambassadors and High Commissioners whose names have been announced previously are already at their respective stations, awaiting dates to present Credentials, she added.