The Ambassador - designate of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Prof. Fazeeha Azmi, presented the copy of her credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Dr. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi at the Iran Foreign Ministry headquarters in Tehran on 20 July 2026. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Dr. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi extended a warm welcome to the Ambassador - designate of Sri Lanka, Prof. Fazeeha Azmi and wished her a fruitful assignment in Iran. While appreciating for all courtesies and assistance, given by the Iran Foreign Ministry, the Ambassador-designate of Sri Lanka underlined the longstanding and friendly relations between      Sri Lanka and Iran and the close cooperation in multilateral fora. During the meeting, she reaffirmed her commitment to further strengthening the existing relations between the two countries in all spheres. 

Ambassador - designate, Prof. Fazeeha Azmi emphasized the need for reviewing the bilateral cooperation including the current collaboration in the areas of trade, tourism, agriculture, irrigation, medicine, youth & sports and culture & arts between Sri Lanka and Iran. She also emphasized exploring new opportunities for higher education cooperation including the exchanging of scholarships, fellowships and other trainings between the two countries. In response, the Iran Foreign Minister, Dr. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi assured to render all required support to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tehran during the tenure of the Ambassador-designate and expected to upgrade the existing bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership with the focus on strengthening strategic sectors. 

Prof. Fazeeha Azmi is the first female Ambassador appointed by the Government of Sri Lanka to Iran.

Ambassador-designate, Prof. Fazeeha Azmi is a senior academic, with a career spanning over 20 years in teaching, research, and scholarly work in the fields of youth, poverty and livelihood changes, women and migration, internal displacement, tourism, small-scale fisheries, urban cultural heritage and post-war development in Sri Lanka. She held appointments in Sri Lanka, India, Norway, Fiji, and Canada and contributed extensively to national and international research and academic collaborations. 

Prior to being appointed as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Islamic Republic of Iran, she served as a Professor in Geography at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. Prof. Fazeeha Azmi earned her first degree in Geography with a First Class from the University of Peradeniya. She did her M.Phil in Social Change and PhD in Geography at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway.  She is a past pupil of Mawanella Zahira National School in Kegalle district.

Embassy of Sri Lanka

Tehran 

21 July 2026