The American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham) released a statement this week, calling for a continued strengthening of trade relations between the United States and Sri Lanka, following the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president.
"It is our sincere hope that this new chapter in Sri Lankan history will continue to grow the already prosperous relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said AmCham.
“The AmCham looks forward to working with the new administration in order to further develop the longstanding and mutually-beneficial partnership between the Sri Lankan Government and the Chamber and we further express our hope and desire that the newly elected President will promote constructive trade and investment policies, so that US and Sri Lankan businesses can continue to create prosperity at home and in each other's respective markets."
The statement went on to add,
"In recent years the United States has made a concerted effort to increase the investment profile of its companies in the Indo-Pacific region, and in that sense, opportunities abound for Sri Lanka in terms of becoming a key trading partner in the region. As such we look forward to President Rajapaksa continuing with Sri Lanka's dedication to a transparent and inclusive policy environment, while at the same time ensuring peace and sustainable growth of its economy."
Last week,the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka called on new Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa this week, where they discussed “a US partnership [with] a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Sri Lanka”.
The meeting comes after US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitments to “security sector reform, accountability, respect for human rights, and non-recurrence of violence” in a statement marking Rajapaksa’s assumption as president.
