Dr. Paul Kapur, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, who is currently visiting Sri Lanka, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday  (22) afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat.

During the meeting, the two sides recalled the 77 years of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the United States and noted that the relationship has evolved into a strong and multifaceted partnership spanning trade, defence, investment, tourism and people-to-people ties.

Expressing satisfaction with the existing bilateral cooperation, Assistant Secretary Kapur reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to maintaining and further strengthening this cooperation.

The situation in the Middle East was also discussed, with both sides noting that developments appear to be moving in a positive direction. They expressed confidence that the peace agreement reached on 19 June would help guide the region towards lasting peace.

The President also recalled Sri Lanka’s humanitarian approach during this period, noting that the country had provided humanitarian assistance, within the framework of international law, to two vessels that encountered difficulties near Sri Lankan waters in March this year. The steps taken by Sri Lanka were commended by the US Assistant Secretary of State.

President Dissanayake further emphasised Sri Lanka’s commitment to extending its fullest support towards maintaining peace and stability in the region.

The meeting also focused on trade relations between the two countries. The United States remains the single largest destination for Sri Lankan exports and discussions centred on further developing bilateral trade cooperation in a manner that would benefit both nations, as well as on the tariffs imposed on Sri Lankan exports.

The President pointed out that Sri Lanka, as a small economy, could not be compared with a large economy such as that of the United States and that narrowing the trade gap between the two countries would be a challenging task. Both sides also discussed the importance of concluding matters relating to the trade agreement between Sri Lanka and the United States as expeditiously as possible.

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 Charge d’Affairs of the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka, Jayne Howell; Senior Economic Programmes Manager at the US Department of State, Matthew Ridgeway; and Head of the Political Section at the United States Embassy, Shailaja Kim, among other officials.

(PMD)