STATE LEVEL LOBBYING URGED TO FURTHER SRI LANKA
- U.S. TIES
Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the US Devinda R. Subasinghe has urged
Sri Lanka's Honorary Consuls in the US, that together with the
larger Sri Lankan expatriate community living throughout the country
they must engage with their respective State level political and
business leaders in order to leverage greater opportunities for
Sri Lanka. Emphasizing that that the US system works "from
the ground up", he said support for measures beneficial to
Sri Lanka " should be lobbied for at the State level, as
much as it is in Washington".
The Ambassador made this observation when he addressed Sri Lanka's
Honorary Consuls in the US, at a workshop held at the Sri Lanka
Embassy in Washington D.C. on Saturday April 19th, 2003. Participating
in the session with the Diplomatic Staff of the Embassy were Mr.
Kevin E. Grady, Honorary Consul, Georgia, Mrs. Kusuma Cooray,
Honorary Consul, Hawaii, Dr. Althea Gray, Honorary Consul, New
Mexico, Mr. Jay Liyanage, Honorary Consul, New Jersey and Connecticut
and Dr. Jeremy R Torsveit, Honorary Consul, Arizona.
Ambassador Subasinghe who summed up the positive trends in current
Sri Lanka-US relations particularly reflected in the highly successful
recent visit to the US by Sri Lanka's Minister for Economic Reform,
Science and Technology Milinda Moragoda, noted that the current
Strategic Plan of the Embassy had four objectives. First, to deepen
and broaden the US-Sri Lanka relationship in the diplomatic, political,
economic, security and cultural areas. Second, to elevate the
economic cooperation between the two countries to secure greater
market access for our exports, access to US capital markets and
to increase the level of investment from the US to Sri Lanka,
where enabling free trade relations was a priority. Third, to
access high levels of World Bank and IMF technical expertise and
financial resources. Fourth, to upgrade the service and quality
of the Embassy in Washington D.C, the Consulate General office
in Los Angeles and the Offices of the Honorary Consuls.
He noted that in order to bolster support for Sri Lanka at the
Congressional level, the 'Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka and
Sri Lankan Americans' was being re-constituted to reflect the
current composition of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Congressman Jerry Weller (Republican- Illinois) had recently assumed
the position of Co-Chair of the Caucus and joins Congressman Frank
Pallone (Democrat - New Jersey) who was a founding Co-Chair of
this body. A "Dear Colleague" note from them encouraging
membership in the Sri Lanka Caucus was already being circulated
in the Congress and encouraging greater representation in the
Caucus must be strongly canvassed at the State level as well.
The Ambassador also sought the more active involvement of Sri
Lanka's Honorary Consuls in reaching out to the Corporate Community,
particularly companies with headquarters in their States, which
have business interests in Sri Lanka or the prospect of doing
so. Promotion of high-end spenders to avail of the eco-tourism
and Ayurveda opportunities in Sri Lanka was also stressed. He
assured that the Embassy, as well as the Board of Investment (BOI)
and Tourist Board in Sri Lanka would coordinate with the Honorary
Consuls more closely in this regard in the future.
The Honorary Consuls also detailed their current level of activity
and potential areas which could be explored further. The consular
assistance provided to Sri Lankans, promotion of trade and tourism
as well as Sri Lanka as a film location, showcasing Sri Lankan
products and its arts and culture, securing greater opportunities
for Sri Lankans in educational institutes in the US and exposure
of US scholars to Sri Lanka, raising funds and facilitating medical
projects in Sri Lanka and for Sri Lankans in need particularly
in the area of open-heart surgery and in promoting closer links
at the state level with military institutions that train Sri Lankan
armed forces.
It was suggested that more could be done to encourage Sri Lankans
in the US to spend their vacations in Sri Lanka and to keep their
savings in NRFC accounts in Sri Lankan banks where there was a
higher interest rate. The possibility of easing the financial
burden and minimizing administrative procedures in securing dual-citizenship
for Sri Lankan Americans was also discussed.
Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Janaka Nakkawita, who serves
as the focal point in the Embassy with respect to the Honorary
Consuls, earlier briefed them on the framework within which they
must operate and what was specifically expected of them. Noting
that Sri Lanka appreciated that they had offered their services
without any remuneration, Ambassador Nakkawita said in future
the Embassy would assist them in developing their office premises
in a manner that provides a Sri Lankan ambiance.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA
21 April 2003
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