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Thursday, 17 October 2013 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya offered accolades to a group of top Sri Lankan business leaders visiting Washington, for their contribution towards the prolific economic relationship between Sri Lanka and the US.
At a dinner reception hosted at the Sri Lanka Residence, Washington DC on Wednesday, 9 October, Ambassador Wickramasuriya also commended the two centuries of business ties with the USA, which he called vital for the economic prosperity of Sri Lanka.
“I believe economic partnerships build the strongest pillar of diplomatic relations,” he said. “I am proud to welcome this group of eminent Sri Lankans who are responsible for bringing in the most of Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange,” he added.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya also noted that further strengthening of economic relations with the US is of paramount importance to Sri Lanka as the US is already the single largest export destination of Sri Lankan products. He reaffirmed the Embassy’s commitment to promote trade between the two countries and profoundly thanked the US Embassy, Colombo for the timely initiative to host Sri Lankan business delegation in the US.
The dinner was hosted in honour of the Sri Lanka Government delegation attending the World Bank/IMF annual meetings headed by Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and the visiting Sri Lankan business delegation sponsored by the US Embassy in Colombo.
The Senior Minister of International Monetary Cooperation and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Sarath Amunugama addressing the gathering thanked the US Embassy in Sri Lanka for organising the business delegation to the US, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington DC for the networking opportunity with visiting senior Sri Lankan Government officials and the US trade officials.
The minister underscored that the companies headed by the leaders present in the audience should not only be acclaimed for their success but also for their service to the society. He recalled that even the United Nations has recognised MAS and Brandix, the two leading Sri Lankan garment manufacturers for their eco friendly and green production environment.
“I think by any standard anywhere in the world we can be proud of our apparel industry,” he said.
“When people are taking another look, when it is not only the product but the human environment in which this product comes out, then I think Sri Lanka is very proud of having the type of business leaders who are here today,” the Minister added.
Assistant US Trade Representative for Central and South Asia, Michael Delaney speaking at the occasion said that the United States is proud to be the largest trade partner of Sri Lanka and is looking to expand the relationship further.
“We are the biggest single customer for Sri Lanka, and that’s something we are very proud of. We are responsible for tens of thousands of jobs in the Island, and those jobs are not just the numbers, those are families, they support their children, they live up to their dreams, their children will go on to lead a better life,” he said.
Delaney noted that the US places a great value in the economic relationships with Sri Lanka and the Office of the US Trade Representative is always looking for ways to expand and grow them. He also commended the US embassy of Sri Lanka for organising the tour and opined there is tremendous potential for continued growth for business between the two nations.
“Of all the countries that I‘ve worked in, I would say, Sri Lanka has the greatest potential for rapid growth going forward,” he added.
The representative gathering of US and Sri Lankan guests included members of visiting business delegation; MAS Holdings Chairman Mahesh Amalean, Brandix Chief Executive Officer Ashroff Omar, Access Group Chairman Sumal Perera, John Keells Group Deputy Chairman Ajith Gunawardane, Orion Management Consortium CEO Jeevan Gnanam, Virtusa Executive Vice President and COO Keith Modder, Micro Holdings CEO Lawrence Perera and Kings Holdings Director Niro Cooke.
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka with the cooperation of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) organised the 10-day US visit for the Sri Lankan business delegation. During the visit the delegates attended a number of meetings with US Corporate leaders and government officials in Washington, New York and Boston.
