The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference,The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo,Ceylon in January 1950,and was attended by the finance ministers of Australia,the United Kingdom,Canada,Ceylon,Pakistan and New Zealand,and the prime ministers of Ceylon and India. Membership has expanded significantly over the years to the current 28 governments.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area,21% of the world's population and 5.21% of the global economy,as of 2021.
Robert Orris Blake was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Mali from 1970 to 1973.
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.
The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) is an agency within the United States Department of State that is responsible for the U.S. government's relations with countries in the South and Central Asian region. The bureau is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs,who reports to the Secretary of State through the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. The current Assistant Secretary is Donald Lu,incumbent since September 15,2021.
Karl Frederick Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as assistant secretary,Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,and Sri Lanka. Prior to his appointment as assistant secretary,Inderfurth served as the U.S. representative for special political affairs to the United Nations,with the rank of ambassador. In this capacity,he dealt with issues such as UN peacekeeping,disarmament,nuclear proliferation and security affairs. Inderfurth also served as deputy U.S. representative on the United Nations Security Council.
Marion Virgil Creekmore Jr. is the distinguished visiting professor of history and political science at Emory University. He also served in the US Foreign Service and then as the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives.
Patrick Mendis is an educator,diplomat,author,and executive in government service in the United States. A former American diplomat and military professor during the Clinton,Bush,and Obama administrations,he held various positions in the U.S. Departments of Agriculture,Defense,Energy,and State. He was appointed twice as a commissioner of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO at the State Department by the Obama administration. His appointment to the UNESCO Commission ended during the Trump administration when the White House withdrew from the UN agency.
Sri Lanka and the United States established diplomatic relations on 23 October 1948.
Christopher Van Hollen Sr. was an American member of the United States Foreign Service who served as the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1972 until 1976. He was the father of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
Indonesia and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations on 6 August 1952. Both nations share some cultural similarities. Indonesia and Sri Lanka are members of numerous organizations such as the World Trade Organization and Indian-Ocean Rim Association. They are also founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Indonesia has an embassy in Colombo,while Sri Lanka has an embassy in Jakarta.
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 Chargéd'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.
The Metropolis of Singapore and South Asia is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is centered in Singapore and has jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in the countries of Singapore,Indonesia,Malaysia,Brunei,East Timor,the Maldives,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,India,Nepal,Bhutan,Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was founded in January 2008 by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Minister to Guatemala and U.S. Minister to Colombia.
Nicholas Dean is an American diplomat and former Ambassador to the Bangladesh. He served as the special envoy for Holocaust of the state department.
Teresita (Tezi) Currie Schaffer,a 1966 graduate of Bryn Mawr College,served in the US Foreign Service for 30 years and was Ambassador to Sri Lanka. She had a concurrent appointment as Ambassador to the Maldives (1992-1995) and was Director of the Foreign Service Institute from 1995 until 1997.
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.
