Sunday Times 2
Sri Lanka ambassador M R K Lenagala presents credentials in Austria
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Ambassador M R K Lenagala presented Letters of Credence accrediting him as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to Austria to the Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna on November 21.
The presentation of credentials was followed by a courtesy call on the Federal President of Austria and an inspection of the Presidential Guard of Honour.
During the courtesy call, Ambassador Lenagala conveyed to the Austrian President Van der Bellen greetings and from President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Avenues for further strengthening of bilateral relations were discussed particularly in view of the milestone of 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024. Counsellor Charitha Weerasinghe of the Embassy was also present.
Ambassador Lenagala is a career diplomat with over 25 years of experience. Prior to this appointment he served as Additional Secretary (Multilateral Affairs) at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, and as Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in London and New Delhi. At the Ministry he served in several capacities at the Political Affairs West and the UN and Human Rights Divisions, which he headed twice as Director General. He served as Personal Assistant to four Foreign Affairs Ministers. A past student of Ananda College Colombo, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of International Relations degree from the University of Colombo. He is an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Austria is concurrently accredited to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia and also serves as the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office and Other International Organisations in Vienna.