JEDDAH : “You may curse the darkness or light a candle at the time of this crisis. My choice was the second one”Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told the Sri Lankan Community in Jeddah on Tuesday,Jan.24
The interaction between the minister and the community members was arranged by the Consul General Falah Moulana at the mission’s premises. Lankan ambassador in Riyadh Pakeer Mohideen Amza was also present at the interaction,
Sabry who was the Consul General in the same Consulate 25 years ago recalled the good his good old days in Saudi Arabia as a young diplomat
“ My trip to Jeddah takes me back in time. I can vividly recall arriving here in 1997 as a junior diplomat with the daunting responsibility of opening a new Consulate. President Chandrika Kumaratunge and then foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar invited and encouraged me to accept the position,:Sabry recalled.
At the time,an estimated 100,000 Sri Lankans resided in the western region, encompassing Makkah and Madinah which the Consulate served.I was also able to start expatriate societies in Makkah, Yanbu, Madinah, and Jeddah,he added.
“ What a journey it has been! When my posting ended and I started my own practice,I never thought I would come back as the Foreign Minister. Connecting with the community was amazing because many of them are still employed here 23 years after I left,” Sabry said looking at his old friends.
In his concluding remark he said : “You may curse the darkness or light a candle at the time of this crisis. My choice was the second one”.
Minister Sabry’s delegation comprises K Cader Masthan , state minister for rural economy and U.LM.Jauhar, Additional Secretary/Consular Affairs and Political Affairs (Middle East and Africa) at the foreign ministry in Colombo.Sri Lankan ambassador in Riyadh, Pakeer Mohideen Amza and Sri Lanka Consul General Falah Moulana were present during the official talks of the minister.
