Seven of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions abroad are operating without an ambassador or high commissioner, Hiru News reported on Sunday, with two of the vacancies now approaching two years.
The Sri Lanka Foreign Service has 31 officers in total.
The seven posts, and how long each has been empty
| Mission | Vacant since | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| High Commission, Seychelles | 1 December 2024 | about 23½ months |
| High Commission, Kenya | 29 November 2024 | about 23½ months |
| High Commission, Canada | 6 July 2025 | about 16 months |
| Embassy, Jordan | 20 January 2026 | about 10 months |
| Embassy, Germany | 16 March 2026 | about 8 months |
| Embassy, China | 1 May 2026 | about 6½ months |
| Embassy, United States | 8 August 2026 | about 3 months |
Durations are this desk’s calculation from the dates in the report to the date of publication.
Three of them are high commissions, not embassies
Hiru’s headline describes all seven as embassies. Three — Seychelles, Kenya and Canada — are Commonwealth postings, where Sri Lanka is represented by a high commissioner rather than an ambassador, and the report’s own body uses the correct titles for them. The distinction is one of form rather than function, but the headline figure of “seven embassies” is loose.
Why this list is unusual
The vacancies are not confined to small or peripheral postings. China and the United States are Sri Lanka’s two most consequential bilateral relationships — the first as the country’s largest bilateral creditor and infrastructure partner, the second as a major export market — and both have been without a resident head of mission through a period that includes the 2027 budget and continuing debt and trade negotiations. Germany is among Sri Lanka’s larger European partners and a significant tourist source market.
The two oldest vacancies, Seychelles and Kenya, both date from within three days of each other in late November 2024, shortly after the change of government.
Not reported
Hiru does not say who disclosed the figures or in what forum — whether in parliament, in answer to a question, or through the Foreign Ministry — and gives no date for the disclosure beyond the filing itself. It does not say why the posts remain unfilled, whether appointments are pending or have been proposed, or whether the Constitutional Council or the Committee on High Posts has any of them under consideration.
It does not say who is currently in charge of each mission in the absence of a head, though in practice a chargé d’affaires would ordinarily act. It gives no indication of how many of the 31 Foreign Service officers are currently posted abroad, nor whether the vacancies reflect a shortage of career officers, a pause in political appointments, or both.
Single source. Hiru News was the only verified newsroom carrying this story at the time of writing. A search for corroborating coverage returned only embassy staff directories and reference material, not reporting on the vacancies. Ada Derana could not be checked — adaderana.lk has returned an HTTP 403 block to this desk for some 63 consecutive days.