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.
He underlined the need to strengthen the existing laws to give more authority to Parliament in the exercise of monetary powers.
