Waldner: „Sri Lanka uses Vienna as a gate to Central and Eastern Europe“
State Secretary at the opening of the new Sri Lankan Embassy
Vienna, 20 January 2012 – „Strengthening Vienna as a centre of exchange and as a seat of international organisations is a top priority for me“, said State Secretary Wolfgang Waldner at the formal inauguration of the new premises of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vienna. „We are therefore particularly pleased that Colombo decided to expand its embassy in Vienna to a regional hub for its diplomatic tasks“. As a result, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Vienna is not only responsible for Austria, but also for a series of neighbouring countries and for the international organisations based in Vienna.
„The fact that a series of other countries, including Laos, New Zealand, and El Salvador, have established embassies in Vienna in recent years underscores Vienna’s importance as a centre of dialogue and as a gate to Central and Eastern Europe“, stressed Waldner.
"Ever since diplomatic relations were established in 1954, our relations with Sri Lanka have been characterized by great mutual appreciation", said the State Secretary. Sri Lanka opened an embassy in Vienna in 1995. „The enlargement of the embassy and its relocation to the new premises will contribute to further strengthening our relations. Sri Lanka is an increasingly important trade and business partner in South Asia for us“, concluded the State Secretary.
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