Eric Walsh (born 1972 [1] ) serves as the High Commissioner for Canada in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He has held the post since November 22, 2022. [2] Previously he served as the Ambassador of Canada to South Korea between February 2015 and September 2018. He was born in London, Ontario [3] [4] and grew up in Toronto. [5]
Walsh has been a diplomat since 1995. Before he was named ambassador to South Korea, he had assignments in Turkey, Romania, and Switzerland as Deputy Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, and Germany as Deputy Head of Mission under Ambassador Peter Boehm. [5] Following his time abroad, Walsh returned to Ottawa as Director General of the Canada-U.S. relations branch at Global Affairs Canada (GAC). His time at GAC corresponded with several important developments in the Canada-U.S. relationship, including the first presidency of Donald Trump and the re-negotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). He currently serves as High Commissioner for Canada in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. [6]
The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history, save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1900 to 1965, the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965, the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.
Global Affairs Canada is the department of the Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, promotes Canadian international trade, and leads Canada's international development and humanitarian assistance. It is also responsible for maintaining Canadian government offices abroad with diplomatic and consular status on behalf of all government departments.
The foreign relations of Canada are Canada's relations with other governments and nations. Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in global affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral and international solutions. Canada is known for its strong commitment to international peace and security, as well as being a mediator in conflicts, and for providing aid to developing countries. The "golden age of Canadian diplomacy" refers to a period in Canadian history, typically considered to be the mid-20th century, when Canada experienced a high level of success in its foreign relations and diplomatic efforts.
Robert Orris Blake Jr. is an American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 2006 to 2009, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and Ambassador to Indonesia from 2014 to 2016.
Michele Jeanne Sison is an American diplomat and career member of the Senior Foreign Service serving as the assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. She has previously served in various other diplomatic posts around the world on behalf of the United States, including ambassador to Haiti. Sison holds the personal rank of career ambassador.
Shivshankar Menon is an Indian diplomat, who served as National Security Adviser of India under Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. He had previously served as the Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Prior to that he was Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and ambassador to China and Israel. He is currently Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. He is also Visiting Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University.
Stefanie Beck is a Canadian public servant and diplomat. She has been serving as the Deputy Minister of National Defence (DND) since June 3, 2024. She was previously Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Deputy High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom.
Sri Lanka and the United States established diplomatic relations on 23 October 1948.
Ahmed Sareer is a Maldivian diplomat who served as Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations from 2012 to 2017.
Atul Keshap is a retired American diplomat and career United States Foreign Service Officer from Virginia who serves at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the President of the U.S.- India Business Council since January 2022. He also serves as Senior Vice President for South Asia and as President of the U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council. Previously, he served as the Chargé d'affaires of the United States mission to India in 2021. He formerly served as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the United States Department of State. In 2022, Ambassador Keshap was elected into membership of the American Academy of Diplomacy. In May 2023, Keshap was named one of Washington's most influential foreign policy influencers for his work to shape U.S. relations with India.
Alaina B. Teplitz has served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Administration since 2021. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2018 to 2021 and U.S. Ambassador to Nepal from 2015 to 2018. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, she joined the State Department in 1991 and is the recipient of numerous Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.
James Edward Dauris is a British diplomat, currently British Ambassador to Panama since March 2024, and previously the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Peru and as the High Commissioner of the UK to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The Chief of Protocol (CoP) is a government official who heads the protocol department of a state, overseeing security, logistics and etiquette in diplomatic and national functions. A protocol department decides on diplomatic immunity and privileges, diplomatic host security, diplomatic use of airspace and it is the guardian of official etiquette. Advance protocol teams, usually headed by the Chief of Protocol, engage as first contact between governments for the planning of bilateral and multilateral summits and visits.
Kirsten Hillman is a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who was appointed as Canadian ambassador to the United States on March 26, 2020. She is the first woman to serve in this role. In 2019, she had been appointed as acting ambassador, taking over from David MacNaughton. Prior to this, she served as deputy ambassador at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C.
Julie Jiyoon Chung, birth name as Chung Ji-yoon, is a Korean-American diplomat who has served as the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka since 2022. She previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA). Her first overseas assignment was in Guangzhou, China. Chung has later served in several posts in Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Colombia and Iraq.
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