Foreign secretary
Foreign secretary may refer to:
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Foreign Secretary) is a senior official as one of the Great Offices of State within Her Majesty's Government and head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The office is a British Cabinet level position.
The Secretary of State's remit includes: relations with foreign countries, matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the overseas territories in addition to the promotion of British interests abroad.
The Foreign Secretary also has responsibility for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which are directly accountable to this person.
Position
The position of 'Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs' was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices, respectively. The position of 'Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of 'Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs' and 'Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs' into a single Department of State. The India Office was a predecessor department of the Foreign Office.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (also known as the Foreign Ministry) is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that conducts and manages Sri Lanka's relations with other countries. The ministry is housed at the Republic Building in Colombo fort.
History
The ministry was formally established in 1948 following the independence of Ceylon as the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, coming under the direct control of the Prime Minister of Ceylon. In 1977, J.R Jayawardena's government adapted two separate ministries, forming the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs. A.C.S Hameed was appointed as Cabinet Minister of External Affairs.
Overseas missions
The ministry has 40 overseas missions including 13 High Commissions, 40 Embassies, 2 Permanent Representations to the United Nations, 14 consulates and a representative office. It provides consular assistance to Sri Lankans traveling, working and studying overseas.
Senior officials
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