Portugal–Sri Lanka relations

Portuguese - Sri Lankan relations
Map indicating locations of Portugal and Sri Lanka

Portugal
Sri Lanka

Portuguese–Sri Lankan relations refer to the bilateral relations between Portugal and Sri Lanka. While the two countries do not have embassies in each other's respective capitals, Portugal has an honorary consulate in Colombo. The countries share a long historical relationship.

History

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Main articles: Sinhalese–Portuguese War and Portuguese Ceylon

The Portuguese first arrived in Sri Lanka during the late 15th and early 16th century. The Sri Lankan Sinhalese of the Kingdom of Kotte would soon clash with the Portuguese, in which the Sri Lankans were defeated and incorporated into Portuguese territory. Later, the Sinhalese defeated the Portuguese in many battles and freed the central regions from Portuguese influence. The Portuguese only maintained control of the coastal regions and were convincingly defeated in more central kingdoms like Kandy and Seethawaka.[1] The Portuguese rule- despite only lasting for a century- left an influential legacy in the country, such as the Portuguese naming of Sri Lankans, and the spread of The Catholic Church in the country.[2] Many modern Sri Lankan names can be traced from the Portuguese, and Catholics formed at least 7 to 10% of Sri Lankan population.[3]

Modern relations

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Due to their long and historical ties, Sri Lanka and Portugal established relations following the British departure from Ceylon.

Portugal provided unofficial support to Sri Lanka in its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and provided entirely non-lethal supports throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War.[4]

Since the 2010s, Sri Lanka and Portugal have increased bilateral relations as part of the re-introduction of Portuguese heritage in Sri Lanka.[5]

In 2019, Portugal condemned the brutal terrorist bombings of Easter Christians, [6] in which a Portuguese citizen was among the dead.[7]

Diplomatic missions

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  • Portugal is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in Paris, France.
  • Sri Lanka is accredited to Portugal from its embassy in New Delhi, India.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Portuguese in Ceylon: The Portuguese in Sri Lanka before the war with the Dutch - Colonial Voyage". 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". roar.media. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Jayasuriya, Shihan de Silva (26 April 2019). "The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka". Lusotopie. 7 (1): 253–259. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  4. ^ Peebles, Patrick (22 October 2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 284. ISBN 9781442255852. Retrieved 26 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Sri Lanka – Portugal bilateral relations further consolidated - Embassy of Srilanka - Paris". Srilankaembassy.fr. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  6. ^ "António Costa expressa "grande pesar" pela morte de português no Sri Lanka". SAPO. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Widow of man killed in Sri Lanka terror attacks returns to Portugal". Portugalresident.com. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
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