Senior career diplomat Esala Weerakoon assumed duties as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (Aug 01).

He had served as High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India since November 2015. 

Weerakoon will replace Chitranganee Wageeswara, who continued as Foreign Secretary after formally retiring in the Service in September 2015.

The outgoing Foreign Secretary has been posted to New Delhi as Sri Lanka’s new High Commissioner to India. 

Since he joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998, he has served as Ambassador to Norway, High Commissioner to Seychelles, Charge d’ Affaires at Sri Lanka Embassies in Washington DC and in Tokyo in addition to several other postings that include London, Canberra, Kuala Lumpur and Paris. 

During his tenure of service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he has served in different capacities including as the Director General of Economic Affairs Division and the Director General of East Asia & Pacific Division. 

He has also held office as Additional Secretary (External Relations) at the Ministry of Economic Development and as Additional Secretary (Special Projects) at the Ministry of Housing & Samurdhi.

A past student of Royal College, Colombo and a graduate in Economics from the University of Kelaniya, High Commissioner Weerakoon is also an alumni of the London School of Economics and the University of London, where he pursued his post-graduate studies.   

He is the son of former civil servant Bradman Weerakoon, who has served, during his career, under nine Prime Ministers and Presidents of Sri Lanka, including current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.