Jaliya Wickramasuriya

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Jaliya Wickramasuriya
Born (1960-07-08) July 8, 1960 [1]
Matara Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lanka Sri Lankan
Education Nalanda College Colombo
Occupation Diplomat
Known for Sri Lankan Ambassador to
USA and Mexico
Religion Buddhist
Relatives Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka[2][3]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Defense Secretary of Sri Lanka
Prasanna Wickramasuriya
Udayanga Weeratunga
Basil Rajapaksa
Chamal Rajapaksa

Jaliya Wickramasuriya currently serves as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the United States and Mexico. He presented his credentials to former U.S. President George W. Bush on July 28, 2008.[4] Ambassador Wickramasuriya presented his credentials to Mexican President Felipe Calderón in February 2011.[5] Wickramasuriya previously served as Consul General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles, California from 2005 to 2008. He has played a critical role as Sri Lanka’s liaison to the United States government during a vital period of Sri Lanka’s history.

Ambassador Wickramasuriya has been at the forefront of the diplomatic efforts to build on Sri Lanka’s strong relationships with the U.S. government, members of Congress and Sri Lanka’s Asian neighbors and trading partners. Ambassador Wickramasuriya has also been instrumental in building strong ties within the Sri Lankan community in the United States. Wickramasuirya was born in Matara, Sri Lanka on July 8, 1960. He began his career as a businessman and entrepreneur working in the Sri Lankan tea industry. He worked for the well-known Dilmah brand, one of the world’s largest and best known tea companies. Of his 20 years of senior management work in the private sector, Ambassador Wickramasuriya spent 18 years with Dilmah before establishing his own tea company. In 1999, he launched Ceylon Royal Tea, and a year later moved himself and his family to the United States to direct company operations from there, ultimately settling in Atlanta.

As Ambassador, Jaliya Wickramasuriya has relied on his business and management skills to direct Sri Lanka’s Washington, D.C. embassy staff on a variety of initiatives that complement developments in Sri Lanka. Ambassador Wickramasuriya has also aided Sri Lanka’s emergence as a key Asian economic power through frequent interaction with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, USTR, Asian Development Bank and a variety of American corporations. Ambassador Wickramasuriya has launched several new bilateral initiatives between Sri Lanka and the United States. He has also organized multiple trips to Sri Lanka for American companies, tourists and Members of Congress.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biography of Jaliya Wickramasuriya". slembassyusa.org. Retrieved 4 February 2012. 
  2. ↑ Ramachandran, Sudha (12 November 2010). "Feuds start in Sri Lanka's first family". Sri Lanka Mirror. Retrieved 4 February 2012. 
  3. ↑ Our Diplomatic Editor (30 September 2007). "Jumbo team fumbles into diplomatic jumble". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). ISSN 1391-0531. Retrieved 4 February 2012. 
  4. ↑ Fernando, Philip (2008-07-30). "Ambassador Wickramasuriya warmly welcomed at White House". Asian Tribune. 
  5. ↑ "Sri Lankan ambassador to U.S presents credentials to president of Mexico". Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110211_03. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "SL has strong support in US congress: Wickramasuriya". http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/12799-sl-has-strong-support-in-us-congress-wickramasuriya.html. Retrieved 30 August 2013

External links

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