Outgoing US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung met Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday at his office in Colombo, as she concludes her tenure in the country and prepares to return to the United States. The meeting was held as a farewell occasion, during which Premadasa expressed his gratitude and respect to Ambassador Chung for the support she extended to Sri Lanka during her service.  He noted that the outstanding contributions she made as Ambassador will never be forgotten.

Sri Lanka has risen to 93rd place in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with its passport providing access to 39 destinations, according to the latest rankings released by Henley & Partners.

The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations holders can enter without a prior visa, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and analysis by Henley & Partners.

Singapore retained the top position for the second consecutive year, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 192 destinations. Japan and South Korea shared second place, while Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland ranked third with access to 186 destinations.

Sri Lanka was ranked 96th in the previous index, with access to 44 destinations.

Despite its lower level of access, the Sri Lankan passport continues to rank above several South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne, has engaged on his maiden visit to India to participate in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in New Delhi. According to the Indian High Commission in Colombo, Speaker of India’s Lok Sabha, Om Birla, held a bilateral discussion with Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne on the sidelines of the event.

The discussion focused on further deepening of Parliamentary Exchanges between our two democracies.

Commenting on the meeting, Speaker Om Birla said the discussions highlighted close Parliament-to-Parliament cooperation, including regular exchanges, formation of friendship groups, and collaboration in policy and programme design.

He further said they discussed deeper engagement in technology-driven parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems, real-time multilingual translation, and capacity building through PRIDE.

“Just concluded a cordial and engaging exchange with Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Recalled our earlier interactions and the strong, time-tested bonds between India and Sri Lanka, rooted in close friendship, mutual support, and shared democratic traditions. Our discussions highlighted close Parliament-to-Parliament cooperation, including regular exchanges, formation of friendship groups, and collaboration in policy and programme design. We discussed deeper engagement in technology-driven parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems, real-time multilingual translation, and capacity building through PRIDE. Hoped that the strong people-to-people connect, cultural linkages including Bodh Gaya as a shared pilgrimage centre, and continued parliamentary dialogue will further strengthen India–Sri Lanka relations in the years ahead,” he added in a post on ‘X’.