Sri Lanka to establish diplomatic ties with 15 African countries

Sri Lanka has decided to establish diplomatic relations with 15 African countries, announced the Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella.

Accordingly, diplomatic ties will be establish with countries such as Mauritania, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Central African Republic, Gabonese Republic, Cameroon, Cote Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Togolese Republic and Niger.

Sri Lanka as of now only maintains four residential missions in Africa; despite the region has 62 countries, including 54 sovereign states.

Among the nations which Sri Lanka maintains residential missions are Egypt, Kenya, South Africa and Libya.

Libyan mission is temporarily closed now, due to the prevailing situation there.

Some of the above missions were concurrently accredited to several other African States.

Sri Lanka’s oldest mission in Africa is in Egypt which has been accredited to Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria and Mali.

The mission in Kenya is accredited to Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

South African mission looks after countries such as Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.