The House Democracy Partnership (HDP) of the United States Congress welcomed members of parliament of four HDP partner countries, including Sri Lanka to an exchange programme, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

A bipartisan group of members of Sri Lankan Parliament comprising State Minister of Agriculture Wasantha Aluwihare, Deputy Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment Anuradha Jayaratne, Keheliya Rambukwella, Buddhika Pathirana and Eswarapatham Saravanapavan participated in this programme.

The exchange programme allowed the members of parliament to share lessons and experiences with their peers on the parliament’s role and interacted with U.S. members of congress, congressional staff and U.S. experts on matters such as improving citizen security, social inclusion, peacebuilding, reconciliation and stimulating economic growth in post conflict societies.

The Sri Lanka Parliament and the House Democracy Partnership of the U.S. House of Representatives entered into a Collaboration Agreement to strengthen partnership between the two legislatures last September. Collaboration between the two legislatures is based on the principles of facilitating the exchange of information on the legislative systems of each country, sharing knowledge, and offering consultations on effective legislative management; and cooperating and assisting each other through training programs for the members and staff of the legislatures.