The ceremony commenced with a Guard of Honour by the Slovenian Armed Forces, which was followed by the presentation of the Letters of Credence and courtesy call with President Borut Pahor. The Ambassador Jayesinghe was accompanied by Counsellor and Head of Chancery of the Embassy Charitha Weerasinghe and Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka to Slovenia Andrej Prebil.
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe conveyed greetings from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the People of Sri Lanka to President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor and the People of Slovenia. Ambassador felicitated on the 30th Anniversary of the Statehood of Slovenia and also Slovenia assumption to the Presidency of the European Council on 01 July, 2021. President Borut reciprocated greetings to his Sri Lankan counterpart and expressed his interest to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe briefed the Slovenian President on challenges faced due to the covid 19 pandemic and also hoped there would be an equitable distribution of vaccines.
The Ambassador Jayesinghe mentioned that Sri Lanka-Slovenia special relations have grown exponentially covering a multitude of areas with mutual benefits. It was further stated that Sri Lanka hopes to further strengthen and expand the friendly relations in economic, trade, investments, and tourism sectors in the years ahead.
The Sri Lankan Ambassador Jayesinghe extended an invitation on behalf of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the President Borut Pahor to visit Sri Lanka. The Slovenian President Pahor stated that he wishes to visit Sri Lanka before the end of his second term in office.
On the sidelines of presentation of credentials Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe held discussions with State Secretary on behalf of Prime Minister of Slovenia Dr. Igor Sencar, State Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Stanislav Rascan, Head of Department for Asia and Oceania Bojan Bertoncelj, Director General, Directorate for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukic in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Discussions were also held with Director General of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce Ales Cabtarutti, and Director General of Slovenian Tourist Board Maja Pak, exploring new ways to promote trade, investment and tourism opportunities in the new normal.
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998 and was Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates, prior to the appointment in Austria. The diplomatic career entailed serving as Consul General in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China and Deputy High Commissioner in Malaysia.
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe is a graduate of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and a past pupil of St. Joseph’s College and Royal College in Sri Lanka.
