(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) –Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today requested the United States to assist the development of renewable energy generation and green technology when he met with the visiting U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (23).
The President briefed Under Secretary Nuland on the issues raised at the All Party Conference this morning, its progress and the discussion to be held with the main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance on Friday.
Welcoming the measure, the Under Secretary pointed out the importance of holding talks with the Diaspora in Canada, the United States and European countries.
President Rajapaksa said he was keen to hold discussions with the Diaspora and invited them to invest in the development of the Northern Province.
Ms. Nuland said that steps will be taken to introduce the United States’ green technology to Sri Lanka and to support the development of the cyber and information technology sectors.
Focusing on educational facilities in the country, the Under Secretary pointed out that higher education opportunities could be expanded with the participation of the private sector.
President Rajapaksa said he had decided to go to the International Monetary Fund to mitigate the impact of the Covid epidemic and other events on the country’s economy.
Ms. Nuland praised the decision, as well as the steps taken by the truth-seeking mechanism and the amendment of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
President Rajapaksa called on the U.S. delegation to assist in expanding the potential for power generation through renewable energy sources.
Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Amanda Dory, Foreign Service Officer, accompanied the Under Secretary Nuland in discussions with the President.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. GL Peiris, Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath, Chief Adviser to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage were also present.
