Deputy Finance Minister Harshana Suriyapperuma told Parliament yesterday that Sri Lanka will participate in the third round of talks on US reciprocal tariffs after the approval of the Cabinet.
After the successful second round of negotiations, we have been informed that there is an opportunity for the next round of negotiations,” he told Parliament. There is satisfactory progress in this process as the Sri Lankan Government has intervened properly and timely on the US tariffs.
Firstly, our President officially informed US President Donald Trump about our programme. In relation to that, several more letters were exchanged on how we would negotiate in this regard.
Several rounds of talks were conducted with a senior US official in this regard. There was also a second round of negotiations. Now we are looking forward to participating in the third round of negotiations after the approval of the Cabinet. Our hope is to find a solution that suits our country and is favourable, he said. A Sri Lankan delegation met with US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on April 22, at the US Trade Representative Office in Washington
D.C. Issuing a statement on the discussions held in Washington DC with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Office on reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on Sri Lankan exports, the Government of Sri Lanka said that the delegation updated Ambassador Greer on the challenges that Sri Lanka has faced in the past and the steps that are been taken by the Government to overcome future challenges and move towards full economic recovery.
The Sri Lankan delegation has also highlighted the prompt and positive commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to work with the US Government in reducing the trade deficit, and lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers. Ambassador Greer was appreciative of the proposals that Sri Lanka has made in order to commence negotiations and expressed the hope that an agreement can be reached soon between two countries to ensure fair and equitable trade relations, the statement noted.
During the discussion, the two sides have agreed to continue the discussions with the objective of finalising a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries. Both sides expressed the desire to finalise the agreement in the shortest possible time period, the statement added.
