Ambassador Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama presented Credentials to the President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at a ceremony held on 17 January 2022 at the Ajuda National Palace, Lisbon, Portugal.
Ambassador Prof. Hirimburegama while presenting her credentials, conveyed to the President of Portuguese Republic greetings from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and expressed his commitment to further strengthen the relationship between Portugal and Sri Lanka, particularly in the areas of investment promotion, tourism, and trade.
Further, Ambassador drew her attention to the historical relationship between the two countries that existed since 1505, that the Portuguese established trade relations with the Kotte Kingdom at the time. Also, she mentioned that during the early 16th-century Portuguese intentions were directed towards defending their trading interests, particularly the lucrative spice trade and also mentioned Portuguese influence in Sri Lanka then Ceylon, during the 1500s with respect to language, music and cuisine.
In response, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa conveyed that due to the remarkable historical relationship between the two countries, both countries could work together to strengthen the relations between two nations in the bilateral and multilateral arena.
