Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Indonesia Sashikala Premawardhane, presented her Letters of Credence to the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Secretariat on 23 June 2026.
Ambassador Premawardhane conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka Vijitha Herath to Secretary-General Dr. Kao and reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to further advancing relations with ASEAN in line with the priorities of the current Government, including pursuing accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and seeking Sectoral Dialogue Partner status with ASEAN, in addition to its continued engagement through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The Ambassador highlighted the work undertaken by Sri Lanka within the ARF in the areas of Disarmament & Non-Proliferation, Disaster Relief and Defence Education including hosting several inter-sessional meetings in Sri Lanka.
The Secretary-General congratulated Ambassador Premawardhane and appreciated Sri Lanka’s engagement with ASEAN, particularly its contributions to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). He also expressed his interest in further strengthening cooperation with Sri Lanka in areas of mutual interest, including maritime cooperation, trade, investment, tourism, sustainable development, disaster management, and people-to-people exchanges.
Sri Lanka acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in 2007 and accredited its first Ambassador to ASEAN in 2016. Ambassador Premawardhane is the fourth Ambassador of Sri Lanka accredited to ASEAN.
The discussion was attended by senior officials of the ASEAN Secretariat and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Jakarta.
