Very recently, Sri Lanka opened for the first time an Embassy in Romania. Before this important political decision and a step forward to upgrade and consolidate the bilateral Sri Lanka-Romania relations, Sri Lanka had a concurrent Ambassador from another European country. The President of Sri Lanka accredited Mrs. Madurika Joseph Weniger, a high professional diplomat, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Romania. Her Excellency started to organize important events dedicated to opening new avenues for strengthening the friendly relations so happily existing between our two nations.
I do not have the intention to go into a broad presentation of our bilateral relations, although the temptation to do so by the former second Romanian Head of the Mission at the Embassy of Romania in Colombo and former Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka to Romania is, really, very high. Still, I consider as being the place to share with our readers the grate happiness and comfort for Sri Lanka travellers by using the passenger carriages delivered by Romania before, during and after my over six years diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka. At one point in time, the Romanian passenger carriages represented almost 80 percent of such very necessary and useful way of transportation in Sri Lanka.
I am confident that Romania-Sri Lanka bilateral relations have a great future.
Ambassador Madurika Joseph Weniger had the initiative so that the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest to host a special mindfulness discourse and meditation session, on 1st July, 2025, led by the esteemed Venerable Bhante Dr. Wijayarajapura Seelawansa Thera.
Based on mutual consent, IRSEA is publishing the Press Release of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest on the successful event.
*Ambassador (p) Gheorghe SAVUICA,
President of IRSEA
Press Release
Embassy of Sri Lanka Hosts Mindfulness Discourse and Meditation Session in Bucharest
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest hosted a special mindfulness discourse and meditation session on 01 July 2025, led by the esteemed Venerable Bhante Dr. Wijayarajapura Seelawansa Thera. The event brought together diplomats, religious leaders, members of parliament, academics, and members of the local and expatriate Sri Lankan communities for a morning of reflection and interfaith harmony.
Venerable Seelawansa, a respected Buddhist monk based in Austria and President of the Sri Lanka European Sanga Council, delivered an inspiring discourse titled “The Buddha and the Path of Mind Training,” exploring the relevance of the Buddha’s teachings in today’s world. His discourse emphasized meditation as a universal tool for mental clarity, inner peace, and compassion, followed by guided meditation sessions for attendees to experience mindfulness firsthand.
Ambassador Madurika Joseph Weniger highlighted the absence of a Buddhist temple in Romania despite the vibrant Sri Lankan community and commended the Venerable’s offer to provide spiritual leadership toward establishing such a center, supporting the spiritual and material wellbeing of the entire Sri Lankan community in Romania and neighbouring countries.
The event was honored by the presence of His Excellency Archbishop Aurel Percă of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, along with representatives of the Romanian Catholic Churches. Their participation underscored a strong spirit of interfaith dialogue and mutual respect. On the previous day, Venerable Seelawansa Thera held a fruitful meeting with Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and Moldova and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. He is also scheduled to meet leaders of the Christian Orthodox Churches to further foster spiritual collaboration
In the late afternoon, Sri Lankan community leaders gathered to observe the Pāñcil ceremony (Five Precepts) and attended a Dhamma sermon, followed by a productive and engaging discussion addressing the spiritual wellbeing, cultural identity, and practical needs of the Sri Lankan community in Romania and Europe. The dialogue was enriched by thoughtful questions and meaningful exchanges, highlighting the importance of intergenerational support and collaborative initiatives.
All guests were graciously served a traditional Sri Lankan vegetarian lunch, showcasing the rich culinary heritage of the island nation.
This event marked a significant step towards strengthening the Buddhist presence in Romania and enhancing interfaith understanding, while reaffirming the Embassy’s commitment to support the spiritual and cultural needs of the Sri Lankan diaspora.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Bucharest,Romania
2nd June, 2025
* The author is the Founder and President of IRSEA and Founder and Honorary President of Romania-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations. As a career diplomat with over four decades of diplomatic service, an University recognized specialist on Southeast Asia and ASEAN, speaker of Bahasa Indonesia, Russian and English, he represented Romania as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan and Indonesia and Chief of Mission, with Cabinet Letter, to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cyprus, Finland and Estonia.
He published multiple articles, thought-pieces and commentaries reflecting his views on current dynamics in International Affairs and the ongoing developments related to the greater scope of Europe Asia relations. He authored several major chapters in edited volumes on Romania’s Foreign Policy, published by the Romanian Academy.
Ambassador (p) Savuica is a former Director of the Republic of Moldova Division, former Director of the Asia Pacific Division and former Director General of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROMANIA.
He is married and has two daughters, a granddaughter and a grandson.