No dollars to pay salaries at embassies!
For the first time in history, the country’s dollar crisis has escalated to the point where Sri Lankan embassy staff abroad are unable to even pay their December salaries.
Although it is customary in foreign countries to pay December salaries before Christmas, it is reported that the government has not been able to pay those salaries this year due to the dollar crisis.
This situation had arisen during the period Foreign Minister GL Peiris was the Acting Minister of Finance.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry, following careful consideration, has taken a decision to temporarily close three of its Missions / Posts overseas, i.e., the Sri Lanka High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria; the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt, Germany; and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Nicosia, Cyprus; with effect from 31 December 2021. The decision, which has received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.