US Assistant Secretary of State meets President Dissanayake

Colombo, June 22 (Daily Mirror) - United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Dr. Paul Kapur met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat during his visit to Sri Lanka.

During the meeting, both sides reflected on the 77-year diplomatic relationship between Sri Lanka and the United States, noting that bilateral ties have expanded into a broad partnership encompassing trade, defence, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Dr. Kapur expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations.

The discussion also covered developments in the Middle East, with both sides expressing optimism that recent progress in the region would contribute to lasting peace. They noted that the peace agreement reached on June 19 could help steer the region towards greater stability.

President Dissanayake highlighted Sri Lanka's humanitarian efforts, recalling the assistance provided to two vessels that encountered difficulties near Sri Lankan waters in March this year. The support extended by Sri Lanka in accordance with international law was commended by the US delegation.

The President also reiterated Sri Lanka's commitment to supporting regional peace and stability.

Trade relations featured prominently in the discussions, with both parties exploring ways to further strengthen economic cooperation. As the United States remains Sri Lanka's largest export destination, talks focused on expanding bilateral trade and addressing issues related to tariffs on Sri Lankan exports.

President Dissanayake noted that Sri Lanka, as a small economy, faced challenges in narrowing its trade gap with the United States. Both sides agreed on the importance of concluding discussions related to the bilateral trade agreement at the earliest opportunity.

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake were also present at the meeting.

The US delegation included Chargé d’Affaires Jayne Howell, Senior Economic Programmes Manager Matthew Ridgeway, Head of the Political Section Shailaja Kim and other officials from the United States Embassy and Department of State.