Governor Gianforte Continues Trade Mission, Recognizes Montana-Sri Lanka Partnership

Governor's Office

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - On the final day of his strategic trade mission, Governor Greg Gianforte today met with Sri Lankan government leaders representing trade, industry, and defense to strengthen Montana's longstanding partnership with Sri Lanka and expand opportunities in agriculture, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and security cooperation.

"Montana and Sri Lanka have built a strong relationship through our National Guard partnership, and we're working to build on that foundation in ways that benefit both of our people," Gov. Gianforte said. "From strengthening the market for Montana producers to strengthening critical mineral and defense cooperation, there are real opportunities ahead for both the United States and Sri Lanka."

Gov. Gianforte (left), First Lady Gianforte (middle), and U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer meeting in Colombo

U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer welcomed Gov. Gianforte and the delegation to the country before joining for the ministerial meetings, which focused on building on the strong U.S.-Sri Lanka relationship and identifying areas where Montana can deepen its engagement with the country. Ambassador Meyer began his service in Sri Lanka earlier this year with a focus on expanding economic opportunity and advancing shared security priorities.

Beginning the afternoon, Gov. Gianforte met with the Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abey to discuss shared opportunities in advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and investment. In the meeting, the governor highlighted Montana's more than century-long history in mining and the expertise at Montana Technological University in mining engineering, geology, metallurgy, mineral processing, environmental engineering, and mine safety. The leaders discussed opportunities to connect that expertise with Sri Lanka's vein graphite resources, including cooperation in mine safety, mineral research, processing, and value-added development.

Gov. Gianforte later met with Deputy Minister of Defense Major General Aruna Jayasekara to discuss the longstanding partnership between Sri Lanka and the Montana National Guard. Since 2021, the Montana National Guard has partnered with Sri Lanka through the State Partnership Program with cooperation focused on disaster response, engineering, aviation, maritime security, and interoperability. Most recently, Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen joined Sri Lankan counterparts during Atlas Angel II for training focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response. During the meeting, Gov. Gianforte expressed his condolences for the lives lost during Cyclone Ditwah and commended Sri Lanka's government, military, first responders, and people for their response.

The governor, Ambassador Meyer, Deputy Minister Jayasekara, and Montana's Adjutant General Brigadier General Trent Gibson also discussed continued collaboration on disaster-response training, maritime and air domain awareness, port resiliency, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Sri Lanka, the Montana National Guard, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

"The Montana National Guard helped build the bridge between Montana and Sri Lanka," Gov. Gianforte said. "Now we have an opportunity to strengthen that partnership while opening new doors for our farmers, businesses, universities, and industries."

Concluding the ministerial meetings, Gov. Gianforte met with Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe to discuss opportunities to expand trade with Montana producers.

Agriculture is a $6.22 billion industry in Montana, and the state is the nation's leading producer of peas, lentils, and chickpeas. The governor highlighted Montana as a high-quality, reliable supplier of agricultural commodities and discussed opportunities to build stronger relationships between Montana producers and Sri Lankan importers, processors, distributors, and food companies.

The leaders also discussed potential opportunities involving industrial hemp. Montana is growing its hemp industry, including fiber production, while Sri Lanka's established textile and apparel sector presents opportunities for future commercial partnerships.

The meetings were part of Gov. Gianforte's strategic trade mission to India and Sri Lanka focused on strengthening international partnerships, expanding markets for Montana producers and businesses, attracting new investment to the Treasure State to create jobs for Montanans, and developing opportunities for research and education.

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