Western diplomats meet Opp. Leader hours ahead of Chinese Military Chief visit

COLOMBO (News 1st); Several more western diplomats called on Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in Colombo on Tuesday (27) evening.

The diplomats included the Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka David McKinnon, Dominik Furgler - Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka, Trine Jøranli Eskedal - Ambassador of Norway to Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz - Ambassador of the United States of America to Sri Lanka, and Australian Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Amanda Jewell and UK High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton called on the Opposition Leader for talks. The meeting comes just a few hours ahead of Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe’s visit to Sri Lanka. Ambassadors of the European Union called on Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa on Tuesday (27) morning, as well. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka Denis Chaibi led the delegation comprising of; 01. Eric Lavertu, Ambassador of France for Sri Lanka 02. Rita Giuliana Mannella, Ambassador of Italy for Sri Lanka and the Maldives 03. Holger Seubert, Ambassador of Germany for Sri Lanka 04. Dr. Victor Chiujdea, Ambassador of Romania for Sri Lanka. Later on Tuesday (27), China’s Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe will arrive in Sri Lanka, on an official visit until the 29th April 2021. During the visit, China’s State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe is scheduled to call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Department of Government Information said. General Wei Fenghe was appointed to head Ministry of National Defense of The Republic of China, at the 13th National People’s Congress on 19th March 2018. Who is General Wei Fenghe? Born in February 1954, General Wei Fenghe is from Chiping, Shandong province, China. He joined the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in December 1970 and the Communist Party of China (CPC) in January 1972. He is a graduate of the PLA National Defense University(NDU) where he majored in Coordinated Operations Command and was awarded a Bachelor degree. General Wei is currently a member of the 19th CPC Central Committee, a member of the CPC Central Military Committee, a member of the Central Military Committee of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), State Councilor, a member of the Leading Party Members’ Group of the State Council, and Defense Minister who holds the rank of General.