Surprise guests at Marriot Hotel amounts to breach of security?

 2016-02-21

The presence of certain controversial individuals in the close proximity of President Maithripala Sirisena on few occasions during his historic State visit to Germany kept the atmosphere heated among the Sri Lankan delegation even though the actual Berlin remained as low as 100 - 70 Celsius.

The President and the Lankan delegation arrived in Berlin by Qatar Airways QR 77 flight on 16 February 2016 at around 6:45 in the evening and were received by Karunatilaka Amunugama, Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Berlin and Jürgen Christian Mertens, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
He was later accorded a grand State welcome replete with a guard of honour by the German tri-forces under the auspices of German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

While many claim this was the first time in 43 years, a Sri Lanka's Head of State was visiting Germany in an official capacity, it is evident, President Sirisena was the third Lankan Leader to visit Germany on an official invitation in almost half a century.
On 10 September 1974, world's first woman Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike undertook a visit to West Germany at the invitation of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

The focal issue during her visit was the energy crisis in the world and its impact on developing countries. The two leaders held extensive discussions on the matter, in addition to the enhancement of bilateral relations.
Incidentally, after her, the first Sri Lankan leader to visit Germany was her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga in her capacity as the President of the country and that too was, after a lapse of 27 years, in 2001.                                 Read More