President Maithripala Sirisena will leave for Australia on a state visit on May 22. This is the second time a Sri Lankan Head of State is visiting Australia on invitation since 1954, when then Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala visited Australia on a state tour.
President Sirisena is only the second Sri Lankan Head of State to receive an invitation to undertake a state tour of Australia 63 years after Sir John Kotelawela’s visit. President Sirisena who begins his Australian tour on May 23 will conclude his visit on May 26.