In the Letter of Credence, the President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena assures that the new High Commissioner will develop bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and U.K to the best of her abilities.
by our London Correspondent
( November 4, 2018, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Manisha Gunasekera, newly appointed High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Court of St.James arrived in London during the latter part of October 2018.
When a High Commissioner arrives in the UK, he/she is not officially recognised until he/she presents the Letter of Credence to Her Majesty in order to be able to officially represent the country or of the Commonwealth country.
In the Letter of Credence, the President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena assures that the new High Commissioner will develop bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and U.K to the best of her abilities.
The presentation of credentials to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II is a very formal and traditional occasion. Commonwealth other Diplomats are usually driven to Buckingham Palace, by a traditional horse-drawn carriage of the Royal Mews and presented to the Queen and is held in one of the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace.
In addition to presenting the credentials, the other important purpose of the ceremony is to introduce the Queen and the High Commissioner to one another. Her Majesty only sees two Diplomats presenting credence on one occasion as the Queen wants enough time to get to know Her Ambassadors and High Commissioners personally as well.
The last time the Queen received Sri Lanka High Commissioner Amari Wijewardene was on 15 November 2016 and was in the State Room of Buckingham Palace.
The usual practice at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London before presentation of credentials of a new High Commissioner is to attend one of the Buddhist Temples in London to invoke the Blessings. On this occasion, the newly appointed High Commissioner together with the Deputy H.C. Sugeeshwara Gunaratna attended a special Pooja at a Hindu Temple at Wembley on 2 November 2018.Blessings took place after the pooja, perhaps, not only on the new High Commissioner but also for Sri Lanka.
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