"The French government rejects Anura's visa application," reads Sinhala-language text overlaid on an image shared in a Facebook post on July 10.
It shows Dissanayake alongside the French flag, with a caption that reads: "Don't come to France. Will not give a visa. Your government is an oppressive government. The French government rejects Anura's visa request."
Dissanayake delayed his visit to France originally slated for July -- a month after French President Emmanuel Macron invited him on the sidelines of an AI summit in India (archived link).
He was expected to secure France's support to extend Sri Lanka's status in the European Union's tariff exemption regime, while both countries had planned to tackle areas of cooperation in the economic, finance and defence sectors (archived here and here).
Dissanayake is also keen to bring French investors to Sri Lanka, France's ambassador to the country, Remi Lambert, said during a meeting with a cabinet minister on June 25 (archived here, here and here).
Similar claims have spread elsewhere on Facebook, but both Sri Lankan and French authorities denied claims that he delayed his trip because he was not granted a visa.
"There is absolutely no truth in the rumours spreading on social media and other platforms that claim President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visa application was rejected by the French authorities," Prasanna Perera, Director General of the President's Media Division, said in an email to AFP on...
Compliance It’s the second federal contractor to settle with the Department of Justice over claims related to DEI programs without admitting to any wrongdoing. August 31, 2026 • 3 min read I-9 in n...