The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh celebrated the 78th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence on 04 February 2026 at the Embassy premises in Riyadh.
The event commenced with the hoisting of the National Flag by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ameer Ajwad, while the students of the Sri Lankan International School in Riyadh singing the National Anthem. A two-minute silence in remembrance of all patriots who sacrificed their lives for the motherland was observed.
In keeping with tradition, community representatives from different walks of life joined the Embassy staff in lighting the traditional oil lamp followed by multi-faith religious observances conducted by religious dignitaries to invoke blessings upon the motherland.
Independence Day messages of the President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism were read out in Sinhala, Tamil, and English.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad extended warm greetings to all the members of Sri Lankan community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of 78th Independence Day of Sri Lanka. He pointed out that the true independence could only be achieved by strengthening economic prosperity, social justice, and equal opportunity for all citizens. Towards this end, Ambassador outlined the outstanding achievements of the incumbent Government of Sri Lanka within the last eighteen months of governance and invited Sri Lankan expatriates community in Saudi Arabia to join hands in further building on the growing momentum being generated by the government of Sri Lanka.
Highlighting the growing bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the recent past, Ambassador listed out outstanding progress achieved in the bilateral trade and community outreach initiatives in the year 2025. He also extended his sincere appreciation to the members of the Sri Lankan expatriate community in the Kingdom for their generous financial as well as in-kind contributions to Ditwah relief operations in the country amounting to approximately SAR 572000.
Nearly 300 Sri Lankan expatriates from different walks of life demonstrating their strong spirit for patriotism and unity, participated at this nationally significant event.
The ceremony concluded with the serving of traditional Sri Lankan dishes.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Riyadh
05.02.2025
