 "Sri Lanka currency")
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister GL Pieris has briefed the US Ambassador Julie Chung on the proposed 21st Amendment to the Constitution and also held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations and assistance from the international community in mitigating the island nation's worst economic crisis, according to media reports.
The 21st Amendment is expected to annul the 20A to the Constitution, which gives unfettered powers to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after abolishing the 19th Amendment that will strengthen Parliament in governing the country.
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, economic and political news portal EconomyNext reported on Sunday, quoting the Foreign Ministry 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.
On Sunday, during a special televised address to the nation on the current constitutional reforms programme, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the 21st Amendment when approved by the Parliament would help Sri Lanka in several ways.
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He underlined the need to strengthen the existing laws to give more authority to Parliament in the exercise of monetary powers.
Following the example of countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and India, we are proposing a stronger and more powerful law, he asserted.
The Foreign Minister has said the government is focused on exploring all avenues in the provision of short and long-term solutions in alleviating the difficulties encountered by the citizens and in the implementation of a clear plan of action, the news portal Colombo Page reported, quoting a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Peiris stressed that Sri Lanka is deeply appreciative of the goodwill and assistance being received from the international community including from multilateral organisations, the report said.
In response, 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, it added. Sri Lanka is also currently seeking International Monetary Fund assistance.
Sri Lanka is near bankruptcy and has severe shortages of essentials from food, fuel, medicines, and cooking gas to toilet paper and matchsticks. For months, people have been forced to stay in long lines to buy the limited stocks.
The island nation has been facing its worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948.
The economic crisis has also triggered political unrest with a protest occupying the entrance to the president's office demanding his resignation has been continuing for more than 50 days.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
