Ayubowan, Vanakkam, Assalamu Alaikum and Happy New Year!
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| Jaliya Wickramasuriya Ambassador |
It is my great privilege to offer best wishes to you as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States. It gives me even greater pleasure to do this today because 2011 was such a groundbreaking year for our motherland. I know 2012 will only be better.
Today in Sri Lanka, and among our Sri Lankans living here in the United States, the future is unfolding with great promise. Last year Sri Lanka proved to the world that a foundation has been laid for sustained progress in the months and years ahead. Let me briefly mention some of the most notable accomplishments of our motherland for all of us to take great pride in:
· Sri Lanka’s GDP grew by an impressive 8.4% during the third quarter of 2011 even amid an uncertain global environment. Our GDP is expected to grow continuously at around 8.5% in 2012 and beyond.
· Inflation remains in single digits for the second consecutive year compared to relatively high inflation in other South Asian countries.
· Sri Lanka’s unemployment rate declined to 4.3%. This is a tremendous achievement at a time when many nations are struggling with double-digit unemployment rates.
· Tourist arrivals have increased by over 50%, shattering previous highs, and we expect to have 2.6 million tourists per year by 2016. The earnings from the tourism sector have also increased to US $732 million, a record high.
· Investments in the hospitality sector are widely expected as the world’s leading hotel chains such as Shangri-la, Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and Marriott have already made investment commitments.
· Esteemed international publications including the New York Times, National Geographic and the Huffington Post have identified Sri Lanka as a top worldwide destination. Sri Lanka has just been named by Travel & Leisure as the #1 hottest new travel destination for 2012.
· Poverty levels have continued to decline with the latest calculation of poverty indices showing the poverty level falling dramatically from 15.2% to 8.9%.
· All international rating agencies recently upgraded Sri Lanka’s ratings in view of positive and improved economic outlook.
· Per capita income doubled over the last 4 years and it is expected to double again within the next 3 years.
· Sri Lanka’s rank in the Global Competitiveness Index improved to 52nd from 62nd place, Sri Lanka’s rank in the Global Economic Freedom Index improved to 107th from 120th place, and Sri Lanka’s rank in the Human Development Index improved to 91st place from 102nd in 2009.
· The recent sovereign bond issue of US $1 billion was oversubscribed by 7.5 times- reflecting international investor confidence in Sri Lanka. Investor interest was very well diversified, with Asia taking 27%, Europe 30% and the US at 43%.
· Sri Lanka’s external trade continued to remain resilient in 2011. During the first ten months of 2011, the cumulative earnings from exports increased by 23.4% to US $8,702 million compared with the same period of 2010. The U.S. continues to be largest single buyer of Sri Lankan exports.
· Sri Lanka recorded the highest ever inflow in Foreign Direct Investment, exceeding US $1 billion during 2011 with even larger commitments for the next few years, particularly in the tourism sector.
· Oil & Gas exploration in the Mannar basin is progressing well with Cairns Lanka moving to the second phase of drilling.
Under the guidance of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka today continues to enjoy lasting peace. Our economy is strong and growing stronger. Great investments have been made in infrastructure, and the modernization of the country is obvious to all observers. None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary support of Sri Lankans across the globe.
I have met with many Sri Lankan-American groups during the past year. I was overwhelmed by the pride and support that all Sri Lankan Americans- Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim alike- are providing our motherland. I ask that you continue to be committed in your support and unwavering in your patriotism.
Everywhere I go Sri Lankan Americans ask me what else they can do to help our motherland. Here are some suggestions we have that many of you have already been doing for years-
1) Visit Sri Lanka!
Every day my colleagues at the Embassy and I receive calls and letters from Sri Lankan Americans who have visited Sri Lanka for the first time since the end of the conflict. Their pride and joy in our motherland is palpable. No media report or news article can take the place of going to Sri Lanka and seeing the true situation on the ground.
2) Invest in Sri Lanka!
I also invite you to invest in our motherland. My embassy staff and I have worked with a number of important American companies who would like to do business in Sri Lanka. As international interest in Sri Lanka is at an all-time high, I would like expatriates here in the U.S. to invest in our motherland.
3) Promote Sri Lanka!
Most importantly, as we enter the New Year I invite all of you to be Ambassadors to Sri Lanka here in the U.S. Make it your job to ensure that the correct story about Sri Lanka gets told here in the United States. Inform your friends, colleagues and elected representatives about the unprecedented progress of Sri Lanka. Invite them to visit our island and experience Sri Lanka today. Let them know about the sustained peace in Sri Lanka and about the progressive national dialogue about ethnicity, past differences — and even the conflict — through the work of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Despite the hard work that is taking place to promote reconciliation in our motherland, detractors of peace continue to spread false propaganda. As Sri Lankan Americans you are the best promoters of Sri Lanka; please work with us and help prevent these rumors from disturbing the peace in our motherland by spreading the true story of Sri Lanka.
That is our mission here at the Embassy. We talk every day with American political leaders, members of the administration, businesses and the media to deliver the true story of our motherland. We have arranged a Sri Lanka day in the U.S. Congress and hosted many other events, such as tourism and investor promotions, cultural & food promotions, and of course our annual Independence Day celebration in Washington. I have included a video that highlights some of the work the Embassy did this past year. In this coming year I invite you to join us in our efforts. Keep in touch with us and help us protect and promote our country.
I wish you the happiest of New Years in 2012. Our nation is thriving and advancing at an unprecedented rate and I am certain that this growth will continue in the coming year for Sri Lankans everywhere. I look forward to working with all of you to sustain peace and progress in our motherland.
As always, I am honored to serve as your Ambassador. My wife, children, and Embassy staff join me in wishing all of you and your family members a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous New Year.
Thank you,
Jaliya Wickramasuriya
Ambassador
Memories of 2011 – View a video presentation in You Tube
