U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, accompanied by a senior delegation from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today (11) for discussions on bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
The USTR officials commended the Sri Lankan government’s negotiating team on U.S. tariffs for Sri Lankan exports and praised the country’s recent progress in economic recovery. They also reviewed USTR’s ongoing support for Sri Lanka’s economic affairs and discussed potential future trade agreements between the two nations.
President Dissanayake highlighted Sri Lanka’s vulnerability as a small, recovering economy, stressing that even minor external shocks could have significant impacts. He underscored that future trade negotiations must take these realities into account and emphasised the need for decisions that strengthen the long-term bilateral relationship with the United States.
The USTR delegation included Emily Ashby, Director for South Asia; Brendan Lynch, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia; Daniel Jackson, Economic and Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo; and Anthony Pirnot, Political and Economic Counsellor.
Sri Lanka was represented by Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando; Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe; Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma; Senior Economic Adviser to the President Duminda Hulugamuwa; and Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Ministry Secretary K.A. Wimalenthiraja.
