A delegation of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) officials met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (11) for discussions on trade and economic cooperation.
The USTR officials commended the Sri Lankan government-appointed delegation for engaging in discussions on tariffs imposed by the United States on goods imported from Sri Lanka. They also praised the economic progress Sri Lanka has achieved to date.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to the support the U.S. Trade Representative has provided to Sri Lanka’s economic activities, as well as the potential trade agreements to be concluded between the two countries in the future.
President Dissanayake highlighted that Sri Lanka is a small, recovering economy, and even minor external impacts can have significant effects. He emphasized that trade agreement negotiations should take these factors into account. The President also stressed the importance of prioritizing the strengthening of the long-term bilateral relationship in all decision-making processes.
The U.S. delegation included Ambassador Julie Chung, U.S. Trade Representative for South Asia Emily Ashby, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, Economic and Commercial Officer Daniel Jackson, and Political-Economic Counselor Anthony Pirnot.
Representing Sri Lanka were Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Labor and Deputy Minister of Economic Development; Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank; Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance; Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Economic Advisor to the President; and K. A. Wimalenthirajah, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.
