Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have written to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to congratulate him on his election, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Friday (Sep 27).

The 55-year-old was sworn into office on Monday, after he won the presidency with 42.3 per cent of the vote in the Sep 21 polls. 

His closest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, took 32.8 per cent while incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe finished third with 17 per cent. 

Mr Dissanayake is Sri Lanka’s first leftist president. The previously fringe politician saw a surge of support after the country’s 2022 economic crisis forced hardships on ordinary citizens. 

Demonstration of confidence

In his letter on Monday, Mr Tharman extended his warmest congratulations.

“It is a demonstration of the confidence that the Sri Lankan people have in you to lead the country forward,” Mr Tharman said of Mr Dissanayake’s election. 

Singapore and Sri Lanka enjoy “warm and longstanding relations”, underpinned by both countries’ close economic cooperation and people-to-people ties, he added. 

“I look forward to working with you to further strengthen relations between our two countries as we commemorate 55 years of diplomatic ties in 2025.”

In his congratulatory letter on Monday, Mr Wong also noted the longstanding friendship that Singapore and Sri Lanka share, underpinned by shared interests in a range of areas such as carbon credits and capacity building.

“We collaborate well at multilateral fora and are fellow members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Commonwealth,” said Mr Wong.

“Next year, we will commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. I look forward to working with you to further broaden the relationship.”

Both Mr Tharman and Mr Wong wished Mr Dissanayake good health and success.

Source: CNA
--Agencies