These remarks were made by the minister, who returned home on Sunday (23rd April) after participating in the IMF and WB semi-annual conference held in Washington.
Expressing his views, Minister Karunanayake said that Sri Lanka has become the gateway to Asia due to its business friendly policies. He also said that he reiterated to the American Chamber of Commerce about the potential business opportunities in the sectors of infrastructure development, agro processing, health, export base manufacturing and tourism industry.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States of America Prasad Kariyawasam who addressed the American Chamber of Commerce reiterated that business and economic friendly policies as well as strategic geo-political situation of Sri Lanka and its favorable physical environment have made the island a most suitable country for residence thereby becoming one of the best holiday destinations in the region.
The United States further remain the largest export market for Sri Lanka. The latest bilateral trade value is nearly USD 3.3 billion. At the same time, 28% of Sri Lanka’s exports in 2016 have been sent to the United States.
The Finance Minister also said that the economic development mechanism of Sri Lanka was given special accolade during the IMF and WB semi-annual conference held in Washington DC. The minister pointed out that he had separate discussions with participating heads of the IMF and WB during the conference. The conference started on 18th April and was concluded on Sunday.