President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed Dr Dayan Jayatilleka as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Russia despite concerns raised over his nomination.
The President today appointed Jayatilleka and nine other Sri Lankan Ambassadors and High Commissioners.
Those appointed were Professor, Ms Arusha Cooray as Ambassador Designate to Norway, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka as Ambassador Designate to Russia, M.M. Jaffeer as Ambassador Designate to Brazil, M.K.K.Girihagama as Ambassador Designate to Canada, C.A.H.M. Wijeratne as Ambassador Designate to Poland, S.S.Ganegama Arachchi as Ambassador Designate to Sweden, S.S. Premawardena as Ambassador Designate to Vietnam, Anuruddha Kumara Mallimarathchi as High Commissioner Designate to South Africa, Austin Fernando as High Commissioner Designate to India and Noordeen Mohamed Shaheid as High Commissioner Designate to Pakistan.
Secretary to the President Udaya R Seneviratne and Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam also took part in the meeting.
Sri Lankan civil society activists had earlier raised strong objections to the nomination of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke to the post of Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia.
In a letter to the Secretary to the High Post Committee of Parliament, Sri Lankan civil society activists and organisations said they were deeply concerned by public reports indicating that the Government of Sri Lanka has proposed the name of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke to the post of Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
In response to a public notice dated 12 June 2018 issued by the Committee of the High Post of Parliament of Sri Lanka calling for representations regarding nominations including that of Dr. Jayatilleke, the Sri Lankan civil society activists and organisations said that Dr Jayatilleke’s ideology and the ideology that shaped the January 8 2015 movement for change are poles apart.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
