Letters & Speeches
Remarks by Ambassador Butenis at the official TIFA consultations meeting.
October 15, 2009
Thank you, Mike [Delaney].
Ministers, Ambassador Wickramasuriya, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to the official TIFA talks. This is the seventh annual round, and the TIFA talks have always helped to resolve trade issues between our countries and strengthen our bilateral economic ties. I particularly appreciate the presence of Minister G.L. Peiris, Assistant USTR Mike Delaney and Ambassador Wickramasuriya. They have been working on our bilateral trade issues for years, and I am confident that they will make great progress in this year's TIFA talks.
Before I go any further, I would like us to pause and recognize the historic opportunity Sri Lanka has now, after the end of the conflict, to strengthen her economy and - even more important - provide more economic opportunities for all of her citizens. I firmly believe in the benefits that international trade brings to all parties: consumers who enjoy more choices and selection, producers who expand their markets, and people who have better and more satisfying employment opportunities.
I have only been here about a month, but it is obvious to me that Sri Lankans are a talented and resourceful people, and that - given the chance - they can compete with anyone in the world. The TIFA talks are designed to give the business people of the United States and Sri Lanka exactly that opportunity: the chance to do their best. The TIFA talks are a forum where our respective governments can solve problems, to give all businesses a level playing field and enable the private sector to compete fairly and transparently.
Normally the TIFA talks are government to government negotiations, but this time it is different. This really has been TIFA week in Colombo. I am very pleased that a large business delegation from the United States and India is here, meeting with their Sri Lankan counterparts and doing business. But we aren't just looking at Colombo. This is an historic opportunity for the entire country. Yesterday the TIFA delegations and visiting business leaders went to Trincomalee in the East to identify economic opportunities there.
The East has enormous economic potential. Building the economy there will not only help generate jobs and improve the national economy, but economic growth will play an important role in healing the divisions of the war. I congratulate the government of Sri Lanka in choosing to bring the TIFA delegations and business leaders to Trincomalee to highlight how business investment and partnership can improve the lives of all Sri Lankans.
Thank you for your attention. I know the TIFA delegations have a full agenda, and I do not want to take up any more of their time when they could be fixing trade issues. Thanks again.