Sri Lanka’s new Ambassador to France, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, presents his credentials to President Emmanuel Macron and discusses expanding cooperation in political, economic, trade, maritime and cultural sectors.
Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Ambassador to France, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, has presented his Letters of Credence to French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place at the Elysee Palace.
During the meeting, Gunaratna conveyed the greetings and best wishes of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Macron. He highlighted the longstanding relationship between Sri Lanka and France and expressed Colombo’s interest in expanding cooperation across political, economic, trade, maritime and cultural sectors, as well as through multilateral forums.
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Macron reciprocated the greetings to the Sri Lankan President, government and people and reaffirmed France’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and multifaceted cooperation with Sri Lanka. Both sides also acknowledged the importance of Macron’s visit to Sri Lanka in July 2023, which they described as a catalyst for renewed bilateral engagement.
Gunaratna formally presented his Letters of Credence to Macron after assuming his diplomatic responsibilities in Paris. He had earlier presented an open copy of his Letter of Credence to Mathieu Carmona, Deputy Director of State Protocol and Diplomatic Events at France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on July 2.
The new ambassador has more than 25 years of diplomatic experience. Before his appointment to France, he served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union. He has also served as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. His previous diplomatic assignments included postings at Sri Lanka’s High Commission in New Delhi and its Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva.
The latest engagement follows ongoing efforts by Sri Lanka and France to broaden their partnership. In June 2026, the two countries held their second round of political consultations, during which they reviewed bilateral political engagement, maritime and defence cooperation, trade, tourism and development cooperation. They also discussed collaboration on marine issues and cooperation in multilateral forums.
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Maritime cooperation remains an important area of the partnership. France and Sri Lanka established the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies in Colombo in 2024, focusing on areas such as maritime safety, marine-resource protection, pollution response and rescue operations. France has also identified trade, investment and tourism as areas with scope for further cooperation.
The ambassador’s meeting with Macron provides another platform for the two countries to advance their bilateral agenda, with Colombo seeking wider French engagement in economic, maritime, cultural and multilateral areas.