RIYADH: Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad highlighted the country’s enduring ties with the Kingdom in his National Day speech as the embassy hosted a reception on Sunday night to celebrate the 78th Independence Day.
The ceremony at the Cultural Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter brought together foreign ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, and Saudi officials to celebrate bilateral relations.
Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudairy, Riyadh Region undersecretary, was the chief guest at the ceremony.
Speaking at the reception, the ambassador said: “The year 2025 marked an exceptional milestone in Sri Lanka–Saudi Arabia bilateral relations. Our two nations proudly celebrated 50 years of enduring diplomatic partnership with the launch of a commemorative logo at this Cultural Palace last year.”
He said that the embassy, together with the Sri Lankan community, participated in a tree planting initiative across the Kingdom in alignment with the Saudi Green Initiative.
On the political front, bilateral ties were further strengthened when Vijitha Herath, minister of foreign affairs, foreign employment and tourism, paid his first official visit to the Kingdom last year.
During the visit, he held fruitful discussions with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, opening a new chapter in the two countries’ ties, said the envoy.
The Saudi foreign minister presented a specially issued set of commemorative postal stamps by the Saudi Post to his Sri Lankan counterpart as a symbolic gesture to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On the economic front, a landmark historic achievement last year was the establishment of the first-ever Saudi Arabia–Sri Lanka Joint Business Council.
“The MoU signed between the Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka marks a significant step forward and will play a pivotal role in accelerating trade, investment, and business partnerships between the two countries in the days ahead,” said Ajwad.
He added: “Private sector engagement between the two countries gained remarkable momentum in 2025. More than 55 Sri Lankan companies from a wide range of sectors visited the Kingdom to participate in exhibitions and trade forums. This positive trend was reflected in bilateral trade, which expanded by 9 percent last year, alongside a 19 percent notable increase in Sri Lankan exports to Saudi Arabia.”
The ambassador further said: “As a country that shares the aspirations of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Sri Lanka is keen to partner with Saudi Arabia across multiple sectors. Both countries are well poised to synergize and forge strong economic partnerships through collaborative ventures in areas of mutual interest.”
He thanked the Saudi government for the humanitarian and relief projects implemented through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, including the Saudi Noor Volunteer Program, as well as assistance projects implemented in Sri Lanka over the years through the Saudi Fund for Development.
The envoy further said that Sri Lanka, since its independence in 1948, has remained firmly committed to democratic values, multicultural harmony, and sustainable development, while building strong partnerships with friendly nations across the globe.
“Sri Lanka has demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in overcoming numerous challenges. Today, the country is experiencing a transformative phase in its national development journey. Following an unprecedented economic downturn in 2022, Sri Lanka has emerged with an impressive success story of economic recovery. Within a relatively short period, the country recorded a robust economic growth of 5.4 percent in 2025, driven by strong performance across tourism, industry, agriculture, and services,” he said.
“In 2025, Sri Lanka achieved remarkable economic milestones, welcoming a record-breaking 2.3 million tourists, generating unprecedented export revenues, attracting significant foreign investments, and expanding international partnerships,” he added.
“Strategically located along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is actively promoting investment opportunities in logistics, maritime services, renewable energy, the digital economy, manufacturing, and financial services. These priority sectors, in fact, closely complement Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its expanding global investment strategy,” said the ambassador.
