November 18, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has not yet settled on a final accord with the United States concerning reciprocal tariffs, with negotiations still in progress, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament yesterday (17).
According to the Minister, both nations have engaged in 17 rounds of talks to date. He noted that Sri Lanka had succeeded in pushing for a substantial reduction in certain American tariffs — lowered from 44 per cent to 20 per cent — during these discussions.
He also recalled that former US President Donald Trump had, in an order issued on 13 November, removed duties entirely on several Sri Lankan food exports, a move Colombo continues to view as diplomatically significant.
Reflecting on the broader diplomatic landscape, Herath claimed that Sri Lanka had made considerable headway over the past year. He said the country had revived stalled relationships and opened new channels with a number of states, particularly in regions where engagement had previously been minimal.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Sri Lanka had established new formal ties with Antigua, Barbuda and Belize, aiming to widen its diplomatic footprint beyond its traditional partners.
The Minister also highlighted a notable increase in high-level foreign visits, with more than 20 heads of state and senior leaders travelling to Sri Lanka in the last year. Over the same period, he said the government concluded upwards of 70 memoranda of understanding with countries across South Asia, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
Herath further reported that the Foreign Ministry had assisted around 150 overseas firms in exploring investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, while initial discussions had been initiated with roughly 2,000 companies.
The Minister suggested that this growing interest signalled renewed confidence in the country’s economic prospects, although he acknowledged that sustained diplomacy and stable policy frameworks would be essential to convert that interest into long-term partnerships.
