Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Türkiye Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake met with the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Nuri Ersoy on 19 September 2023 at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Ankara.
The ambassador congratulated the minister for his appointment as the Minister of Culture and Tourism and also extended her congratulations for the inscription of Gordion, an ancient archaeological site in Polatli as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 18 September 2023.
The ambassador highlighted the longstanding relationship between Türkiye and Sri Lanka, evidenced by the silk route of the sea, with cultural influences spreading with trading communities, noting that some Sri Lankan Muslims still wear the Fez Cap, which is also called “Turki Toppi” in Tamil, during marriage ceremonies in Sri Lanka. She underscored the significance of both countries in terms of trading hubs, not only during ancient times, but also in the modern times.
The ambassador emphasized the significance of the year 2023 for both countries with Sri Lanka commemorating its 75th anniversary of independence, Türkiye celebrating the 100th anniversary of establishment of the Republic and the two countries celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations. Among the key activities to celebrate in 2023, the Embassy of Sri Lanka is collaborating with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries and the Turkish Embassy in Colombo to issue postal stamps simultaneously on 29 October 2023, to mark the anniversaries. She also indicated that renowned Sri Lankan artist Vasantha Perera has agreed to design the stamps and he would be visiting Türkiye later this year for an exhibition and to start a painting series on Türkiye.
The minister was appreciative that the ambassador has already visited over 25 ancient archaeological sites in Türkiye within a short period of time. The ambassador and the minister exchanged views on how to increase bilateral tourism promotion noting that the direct flight between Istanbul and Colombo has brought the air fare down, which would positively promote tourism between the countries.
The ambassador highlighted the famous Turkish Tele dramas such as “Kadin” (women), which is dubbed in Sinhala which was very popular in Sri Lanka and emphasized how such TV series could increase understanding among people, as part of cultural diplomacy that contributes to tourism, and to economic and political diplomacy between the two countries in the long term.
The ambassador noted that a Sri Lanka Film festival in Türkiye would be organized in 2024 with the contribution of cinematographer Anomaa Rajakaruna, renowned Sri Lankan writer and poet Sunetra Rajakarunanayake and independent filmmaker and writer Eranda Mahagamage who is currently pursuing his PhD studies at Istanbul Medeniyet University in Türkiye. She also noted that Sri Lanka Foreign Service Officer Niluka Kadurugamuwa, who is currently the Deputy High Commissioner at the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi has translated two novels of the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk – “Red Haired Woman” and “My name is Red”.
The ambassador also briefed the minister on the upcoming Sri Lanka Day events to be held in Adana, Antalya, Bursa and Izmir which would be trade and cultural promotion for Sri Lanka. The minister expressed interest in the activities planned by the embassy and requested to consider combining these with international events organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for broader visibility. The minister assured their fullest support in enhancing bilateral cooperation in culture and tourism.
