Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace after presenting his credentials on Monday, Hiru News reported.
Greetings and best wishes from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake were conveyed during the brief meeting that followed the ceremony.
What was discussed
Sri Lanka expressed interest in widening cooperation across political, economic, trade, maritime and cultural sectors, as well as in multilateral forums. Macron reaffirmed France’s commitment to multifaceted cooperation and extended greetings to the President, government and people of Sri Lanka.
Both sides cited Macron’s July 2023 visit to Sri Lanka as a catalyst in reinvigorating bilateral ties.
A long accreditation
Gunaratna assumed duties in Paris as Ambassador-designate and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO earlier this year. An open copy of his credentials was handed to Mathieu Carmona, Deputy Director of State Protocol and Diplomatic Events at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on 2 July. Monday’s ceremony completed the process with the head of state.
A career diplomat with more than 25 years in the service, Gunaratna previously served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He has also held postings in New Delhi and Geneva.
One point of possible confusion
Searches for this event return a near-identical earlier story: an ambassador of Sri Lanka to France presenting credentials to Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. That report concerns a different ambassador and a different accreditation — Manisha Gunasekera, presenting to Macron in his separate capacity as Co-Prince of the Principality of Andorra, in September 2024. The French president holds the Andorran co-princedom ex officio, so credentials to Andorra are also presented in Paris.
Not reported
Hiru does not give the date of Macron’s remarks in any direct quotation, name other ambassadors presenting credentials at the same ceremony, or say whether any specific agreement or visit was discussed. It does not state whether Gunaratna’s accreditation to France carries concurrent accreditation to other states, or who preceded him in the Paris post.
No second verified newsroom appears to have carried the Elysee meeting. Ada Derana’s site has been returning a CloudFront block to this newsroom for 15 consecutive days.
Sources: Hiru News.
