A meeting of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Nations was convened in London on Friday (May 05), with the presence of King Charles III and President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During the event, the Sri Lankan President extended his congratulations to King Charles III and engaged in a cordial conversation. First Lady Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe was also in attendance.

During the gathering, President Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of the Commonwealth playing a more significant role in supporting education reforms that encourage youth involvement. He also called on the Commonwealth to bolster connectivity through digitization.

In addition to this, President Wickremesinghe held a bilateral meeting with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, to discuss ways of strengthening relations between their countries.

Meanwhile, Prof. Wickremesinghe participated in the Fireside Chat program, which was organized as a parallel event to the Leaders Meeting.

The Fireside Chat program provided a platform for discussions on various topics and issues related to the Commonwealth and its members.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe also met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in London to discuss potential areas of cooperation between their countries. The meeting was held on Friday, and both presidents expressed their interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration, particularly in the agriculture and healthcare sectors.

President Wickremesinghe proposed an exchange of visits by relevant ministers, which would enable officials from both countries to explore potential avenues for cooperation. The two leaders also discussed the possibility of further military cooperation, with President Wickremesinghe offering to provide training by Sri Lanka’s defence forces for rapid responses to natural disasters.

The meeting was attended by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to London, Saroja Sirisena, and the President’s Director of International Affairs, Dinouk Colombage.

President Wickremesinghe and the First Lady are in the United Kingdom to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III today (May 06) at Westminster Abbey.

Thus, taking advantage of the gathering of the Presidents and Heads of Government of Commonwealth countries, currently in London for the ceremonial event, a meeting of Commonwealth Leaders was organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat on Friday.