State Minister Tennakoon visits Royal Navy ship ‘HMS Spey’
January 30, 2024State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, visited the Royal Navy ship HMS Spey last evening (Jan. 29). HMS Spey arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday (Jan. 28) on an official visit.
The Commanding Officer of the ship, Commander Paul Caddy received the State Minister on his arrival on board the ship. The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Andrew Patrick was also present at the occasion.
Making a brief speech, Minister Tennakoon recalled the long standing historical and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and the UK. He also appreciated the unwavering support of the British government in times of need and its shared dedication to upholding global peace and security.
Further, the State Minister reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to collaboration, joint exercises and information sharing which strengthen the regional partnership and the resilience of diplomatic ties.
Dignitaries including Ambassador to the Republic of Italy H.E. Damiano Francovigh, High Commissioner of the Maldives H.E. Fathima Ghina, High Commissioner (Actg) of Pakistan H.E. Wajid Hassan Hashmi, High Commissioner of Bangladesh H.E. Tareq MD Ariful Islam, the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives H.E. Carmen Moreno, Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany H.E. Felix Neumann, High Commissioner (Actg) of New Zealand H.E. Patrick Rata, High Commissioner of Australia H.E. Paul Stephens, the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera and the Director Media and Spokesman of the Ministry of Defence and overlooking Director General and Acting Director (Research) of the Institute of National Security Studies Colonel Nalin Herath also joined the reception on board the ship.
