New Foreign Minister promises to deliver

New Foreign Minister Ali Sabry says he looks forward to delivering on the mandate of the Ministry to steer forward Sri Lanka’s foreign relations.

He also said that he will also take the domestic compulsions into consideration.

Sabry assumed duties at the Ministry today (25 July, 2022) at a simple ceremony. Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane and the senior officials were present.

Addressing the officials, Minister Ali Sabry commended the outgoing Minister Prof G L Peiris for his leadership provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Sabry was appointed a Member of Parliament in 2020. Minister Ali Sabry served as the Minister of Justice since 12 August 2020, until he was appointed the Finance Minister on 4 April, 2022.

As the Minister of Justice he launched many new initiatives including the wide-ranging reforms into the Sri Lankan justice sector with the justice sector reform programme to amend over hundred laws, some of which have not been changed in over a century. Minister Ali Sabry also initiated the digitization drive of the justice sector, the expansion of courthouses across the country and the introduction of specialized courthouses to address the issue of delays.

As the Finance Minister he led the Sri Lankan delegation for the recent negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington D.C.

Prior to his entry into politics Minister Ali Sabry was a practicing lawyer with many of the cases he handled appearing in law reports and publications. He was appointed a President’s Counsel in 2012 and was awarded the Outstanding Young Person of The Year for Achievement in Law in 2009. He has also served as Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1997. (Colombo Gazette)