ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister GL Pieris has briefed the US Ambassador Julie Chung on the proposed 21st amendment to the constitution and has sought continued support for multilateral assistance, a statement said.
“The Foreign Minister encouraged continued support from the US and other countries, both bilaterally and through multilateral channels, to mitigate the economic challenges in Sri Lanka,” the foreign ministry said in a statement after the meeting with Ambassador Chung.
“He also briefed the Ambassador on the discussions with different political parties with regard to the draft 21st Amendment to the Constitution.
“The Foreign Minister assured Ambassador Chung that despite current economic challenges, the Government remains fully committed to addressing reconciliation related issues.”
On May 27, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe met Party leaders on the 21st amendment, which seeks to reduce the executive powers of the President.
Sri Lanka is also seeking International Monetary Fund assistance after a soft peg with the US dollar broke under pressure from money printed to keep interest rates down and the country ran out of reserves.
“Ambassador Chung stated that the United States is a friend of Sri Lanka and is well aware of and understands the challenges in the country,” the statement said.
“She stated that the United States will continue to support Sri Lanka during this difficult time.” (Colombo/May29/2022)
