John Rankin new British high commissioner to Sri Lanka

(September 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) John Rankin has been appointed British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in succession to Dr. Peter Hayes.

Mr. Rankin will take up his appointment during February 2011, said the British High Commission in a statement.

On his new appointment, Mr. Rankin has said, "I am delighted and honoured to be appointed as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka."

"The United Kingdom and Sri Lanka have close and long-standing links, and I look forward to furthering the partnership between our countries."

Mr. Rankin has been Director, Americas in the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Office since 2008.

He joined the FCO in 1988 as an Assistant Legal Adviser and served as legal adviser to the UK Mission to the UN and to the UK Mission to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

He has also served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Dublin, working on the Northern Ireland peace process, and was the Consul General in Boston between 2003 and 2007.

He has a degree in Scots Law from the University of Glasgow and a Masters Degree in International Law from McGill University, Montreal.

Prior to joining the FCO he qualified and practised as a solicitor in Scotland and was a lecturer in public law at the University of Aberdeen.