COLOMBO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday informed visiting U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that Sri Lanka's foreign policy was based on neutrality and he was not ready to compromise the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation in maintaining these foreign ties.
According to press releases of the Sri Lankan President Media Division and the Foreign Ministry, President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka wanted to achieve a high level of economic growth by attracting more foreign investments, and not obtain loans continuously.
"We have already begun to remove bureaucratic red tapes that hinder foreign investment. Sri Lanka is a country that possesses necessary factors to achieve a high agricultural development. Our agriculture sector should be modernized. Scientific research should be conducted in order to reach this goal. We expect your assistance towards this end," President Rajapaksa told the visiting envoy.
Pompeo in return informed Rajapaksa that the United States is ready to continuously engage with Sri Lanka in its striving to achieve economic development goals. He said his country expects to further develop already existing strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
After the discussion, Pompeo visited the St. Anthony's Church in Colombo where he laid a wreath in remembrance of those who died in the April 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
He then concluded his two-day official visit by departing for the Maldives on Wednesday afternoon. Enditem
