Bidti - Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute

the bandaranaike international diplomatic training institute (bidti) was established in 1994 under the guidance of the then prime minister, the late madam sirimavo bandaranaike for the object of offering advanced training courses in diplomacy & international relations in accordance with the aims of the bandaranaike memorial foundation to promote international peace, understanding and cooperation through such studies, discussions and dissemination of knowledge. the task of founding the bidti was rested on shoulders of the late deshamanya dr. vernon l. b. mendis, who was not only its first director general but also the first entrant to the sri lanka foreign service in 1949. his mission had been facilitated by the patronage of her excellency madam chandrika bandaranaike kumaratunge, who became president of sri lanka in late 1994. dedication and hard work of dr. vernon mendis paved way to launch training programmes in early 1995 not only as the training institute of the ministry of foreign