Ranil hails US support for SL in every difficult situation

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday said measures have been taken to strengthen the 74-year-old ties between the United States and Sri Lanka, adding that the support rendered by the United States whenever Sri Lanka was in difficulty would never be forgotten.  

President Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement while attending the official opening of the new building of the United States Embassy in Colombo.

Expressing his views on the diplomatic relations and mutual understanding between the United States and Sri Lanka during the war, the President also recalled with gratitude the support given by the United States under the leadership of George Bush in 2001 during his tenure as the Prime Minister.

The President also recalled the support provided by the US Government led by Bill Clinton to help Sri Lanka recover from the Tsunami disaster in 2004 and said that if not for the intervention of the US led by President Joe Biden, Sri Lanka would not have been able to make a success of the Maha Season.    President Wickremesinghe, who further pointed out the 74 years of US-Sri Lanka friendship, partnership and bilateral relations, expressed his appreciation for the support rendered by the United States for the preparation of the first monetary law and the well-drafted legal system for the establishment of the Central Bank.

Having experienced such a long and cordial relationship, Sri Lanka and the United States will work as close friends in the future as well, said the President, adding that the United States and Sri Lanka, as inseparable partners, will forge ahead with respect and confidence in each other to preserve peace and democracy.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhena, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, the US Department of State’s Under Secretary for Management John Bass, several Ministers, officials and private citizens from both countries attended this occasion.