US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday congratulated the people of Sri Lanka on behalf of the United States as the island nation marks its 77th Independence Day.

In a statement, Rubio highlighted the strong and mutually beneficial partnership between the two nations, built on people-to-people ties and shared democratic values over the past 77 years.

“In the year ahead, we look forward to increasing trade and investment between our countries and strengthening our security cooperation to advance stability and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” he stated.