The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Italy successfully conducted a Consular Mobile Service in
Catania, Sicily Island on 21 and 22 January 2023, to provide consular services to the Sri
Lankan community residing in the island and adjoined regions.

Around 550 Sri Lankans attended the service to obtain consular services such as new
passports, passport endorsements, birth registrations, citizenship certificates, power of
attorney attestations, translations of Sri Lankan documents, etc.

During the Consular Mobile Service, HE the Ambassador, accompanied with the Deputy
Chief of Mission and the Counsellor of the Mission, had courtesy meetings with the
Italian local authorities of the three main cities of Sicily, Catania, Messina, and Palermo.

HE the Ambassador had courtesy meetings with Mr. Bernardo Campo, Deputy
Extraordinary Commissioner of Municipality of Catania, on 20.01.2023 and HE Mrs.
Cosima Di Stani, Prefect of Messina, Mrs. Gabriella Ioppolo, Chief of Police (Questore)
and Mr. Federico Basile, the Mayor of Messina on the same day. On 21.01.2023 HE
the Ambassador met HE Mrs. Maria Carnmela Librizzi, the Prefect and Mr. Vito Calvino,
Chief of Police (Questura) of Catania. All the meetings were cordial and mutually
benefited for both parties and wide range of issues was discussed.
During the meetings, the Italian authorities mentioned that the Sri Lankan migrant
workers are well integrated into the social, labor, and cultural fabric of the island. The
Ambassador, while underlining the role that Sicily plays in recent years as migrants
hosting land, emphasized the importance of implementing cooperation between the two
sides in the field of labor and vocational training with a view to enhancing the living
condition of the Sri Lankans in Sicily.
In addition, on 23.02.2023, the Sri Lankan delegation visited Palermo, the island capital,
was the first ever visit of Sri Lankan Ambassador to Palermo, in the history. HE the
Ambassador had courtesy meetings with Prof. Roberto Lagalla, the Mayor of Palermo,
Mr. Leopoldo Laricchia, Chief of Police (Questura) and HE Mrs. Maria Teresa Cucinotta,
the Prefect of Palermo.

During these meetings in Palermo, it was discussed about the illegal Sri Lankan
migrants, visa issues of migrant workers and wellbeing of the Sri Lankan community.
Further, HE the Ambassador suggested to implement sister city programmes, tourism
promotion, conducting vocational training programmes for the children of migrant
workers. HE the Ambassador suggested to sign a MoU between the Municipality of
Palermo and the Ministry of Foreign Affair on the establishment of a cultural center to
study Sri Lankan culture for the new generation in Palermo.

The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Italian authorities for the productive
dialogues and exchange of views held with the purpose of finding common projects to
assist the Sri Lankan workers and their families in Sicily.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Rome
25.01.2023