The Honorary Latvian Consulate of Sri Lanka was declared reopen for consulate work on 11 February by Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia for the Republic of India Artis Bertulis.
Dr. Manil Fernando ceremoniously took office as Honorary Consul, during the event held at the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Latvia for the Republic of Sri Lanka, located at No. 6, Flower Terrace, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Fernando takes over from outgoing Honorary Consul Thomas Daetwyler. The Honorary Latvian Consulate thanked Daetwyler for services rendered towards the betterment of relations between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Sri Lanka while in office and for all the support and guidance given by him to the newly appointed Honorary Consul.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Fernando pledged to work towards strengthening the diplomatic relations between the two countries that have historically enjoyed friendly ties. Commenting that both nations are home to vibrant cultural traditions, he expressed confidence that the Honorary Consulate would be able to facilitate intercultural dialogue and exchange, enrichening the experiences of the peoples of both nations.
Dr. Manil Fernando is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon, businessman, consultant and a football enthusiast. After completing his primary education at Holy Cross College Kalutara, Dr. Fernando went on to read for his M.B.B.S. at Manipal College of Medical Sciences. He completed his Doctorate of Medicine (MD) for Surgery at the University of Colombo and subsequently his MRCS (England) from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
He is the Head of Surgery at a leading private hospital in Colombo and is a recognised surgeon at the Police Hospital of Sri Lanka. Dr. Fernando is part of the board of trustees at the Joseph Fraser Memorial Trust of the Joseph Fraser Memorial Hospital, a member of the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Swiss Business Circle of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Fernando is the Managing Director of Ortho Lanka Ltd., a leading solutions provider to the orthopaedic community in Sri Lanka. He is a Director of Dynamic Audio Visual Technologies Ltd., the No. 1 Audio Visual solutions provider in Sri Lanka, Stallion Holding Ltd., Swiss Ceylon Associates Ltd. and Stallion Consultancy Ltd. He is also a consultant at Melsta Gama Ltd.
As an avid football enthusiast, Dr. Fernando is the current president of the Kalutara Football League. He is one of 11 members of 47 Asian countries for the medical committee of the Asian Football Confederation.
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