Former UNP Deputy Leader and MP Ravi Karunanayake has expressed concern over the United Nations Trade and Development Agency allegedly overlooking Sri Lanka in a recent appeal by the US President to lift newly imposed tariffs on 23 countries.
Speaking at a media briefing, Karunanayake claimed that Sri Lanka missed the opportunity to engage with the United Nations and present its case effectively. He emphasized that this issue requires a united, national-level response rather than fragmented efforts by individual actors.
“This is not something to be handled unilaterally. We must work together as a country,” he said, stressing the need for Sri Lanka to highlight that imposing such tariffs on a nation recovering from economic collapse is unjust.
Karunanayake further warned that the new tariffs could affect hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, underscoring the urgency for diplomatic intervention and international advocacy.
