The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Moscow which is concurrently accredited to Belarus, continues to monitor the situation in Belarus in the context of recent developments in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to liaise closely with the Sri Lanka Embassies in Ankara and Warsaw to facilitate the safe passage and evacuation of Sri Lankan expatriates / students in Ukraine. Seventeen (17) Sri Lankan nationals departed from Ukraine prior to the commencement of hostilities, and since then the Foreign Ministry in coordination with its overseas Missions in Ankara and Warsaw, has facilitated the evacuation of further 32 Sri Lankans from Ukraine via the Polish border. The remaining Sri Lankan nationals in Ukraine who are proceeding to the Polish border for return via Poland are kindly requested to contact officials of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Warsaw or Ankara through the following hotlines:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris and the Sri Lanka delegation had high level bilateral meetings on 28 February, 2022, with the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), on the side lines of the High-Level Segment of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council which commenced 28 February, 2022.
The Foreign Ministry continues to closely monitor developments in Ukraine. Towards this end, the Ministry is currently engaged in the evacuation of approximately forty (40) Sri Lankan nationals, including two (02) students in Ukraine via the Ukraine – Polish border. The process is facilitated by the Sri Lanka Embassies in Warsaw and Ankara, the latter being concurrently accredited to Ukraine.
The Government of Sri Lanka is deeply concerned about the recent escalation of violence in Ukraine.