U.S. House of Representatives delegation strengthens U.S.-Lankan ties

A bipartisan delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives arrives in Colombo today for three days of meetings as part of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a statement from US Embassy in Colombo said.

The HDP delegation is pleased to continue the important partnership begun with the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between the U.S. House of Representatives and the Parliament of Sri Lanka on September 14, 2016 in Washington D.C.  The visit serves to underscore the strong bipartisan support for Sri Lanka in the U.S. Congress.

“This visit by our nation’s elected representatives in Congress shows that bipartisan support for strong U.S.-Sri Lankan ties is robust across the branches of the U.S. government,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap.

During the visit, the delegation will meet with the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, numerous Parliament members, and civil society.  The delegation in Sri Lanka is led by HDP Chairman, Congressman Peter Roskam (Republican-Illinois) and includes Ranking Member Congressman David Price (Democrat-North Carolina), Congressman Gerry Connolly (Democrat-Virginia), and Congressman Adrian Smith (Republican-Nebraska).

The HDP is a bipartisan, twenty-member commission of the U.S. House of Representatives that works directly with partner countries around the world to support the development of effective, independent, and responsive legislative institutions.