High-powered business delegation here:

US to help promote investments in Lanka - Ambassador Wickramasuriya

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

Sri Lanka, with a gradual economic boom and political stabilisation following the defeat of terrorism needs to open its doors for more foreign investments in the post-conflict scenario, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US Jaliya Wickramasuriya said.

Wickramasuriya, who is now in Sri Lanka with a high-powered US business delegation, told the Sunday Observer that this would be the best time to attract more investors to reach the Government’s development goals.

“President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that peace would bring economic prosperity. I too strongly believe in this. When there is peace, there is economic and political stability and this would open the doors for many development opportunities. Sri Lanka is rapidly achieving the target after ending the conflict. We need to bring more international investors to witness this progress in the post conflict period to influence them to invest more in the country”, he said. The top US business delegation would explore investment opportunities in the country.

The greatest achievement was that the US Commerce Department and the US Trade Department (USTD) were promoting Sri Lanka as an investment destination and this would help attract more US investors to the country.

Wickramasuriya said he was able to convince Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) officials to hold talks in Sri Lanka for two consecutive years due to the country’s progress in the post conflict situation.

He said the talks between the US and Sri Lanka under the TIFA were held alternatively but after considering the progress in the post-conflict period, TIFA officials agreed to hold talks in Sri Lanka this year too.

“The US Trade Representative (USTR), which handles the US trade agreements is representing the delegation. The Assistant US Trade Representative for Central and South Asia Michael Delaney is in the delegation and he is very supportive of Sri Lanka. The delegation would visit Jaffna to explore investment opportunities in the peninsula”, he said.

The delegation will take part in a US-Sri Lanka Public-Private Partnership Conference on October 13, where top US companies have been invited.

The representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) of India, which handles the US companies engaged in business in India, will also look into investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.