US, Sri Lanka hold talks on trade and economic cooperation

United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, together with a delegation of senior officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), met with Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday (September 11).

The meeting focused on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. The USTR officials commended the Sri Lankan government’s delegation appointed to negotiate US tariffs on Sri Lankan exports. They also praised the progress Sri Lanka has made in its economic recovery.

Attention was drawn to the assistance the USTR has already extended to Sri Lanka in economic matters, as well as to potential trade agreements that could be developed in the future.

President Dissanayake highlighted that Sri Lanka is a small economy still in recovery and noted that even minor external shocks could significantly affect the country. He stressed that these realities should be considered in future trade negotiations. The President further underlined that every decision taken should focus on strengthening the long-term bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and the United States.

The USTR delegation included Emily Ashby, Director for South Asia; Brendan Lynch, Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia; Daniel Jackson, Economic and Commercial Officer of the US Embassy in Colombo; and Anthony Pirnot, Political and Economic Counsellor.

Representing Sri Lanka were Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development; Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank; Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance; Duminda Hulugamuwa, Senior Economic Adviser to the President; and K.A. Wimalenthiraja, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.