Montana Governor to visit Sri Lanka to boost trade, security cooperation
COLOMBO – Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, accompanied by First Lady Susan Gianforte and a state delegation, will arrive in Sri Lanka on Friday (9) to promote agricultural trade and strengthen security cooperation between the United States and Sri Lanka, the UD Embassy said.
The visit will focus on expanding opportunities for Montana agricultural exports, particularly pulses, while advancing defence cooperation under the Montana National Guard’s State Partnership Program with Sri Lanka.
Montana, in the northwestern United States, is a major producer of pulses, including chickpeas, lentils and dry peas. During the visit, the delegation is expected to meet Sri Lankan pulse importers and traders to explore new markets for Montana-grown products and strengthen commercial ties between businesses in the two countries.
“From Montana’s farms to Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean shores, this partnership connects economic opportunity with shared security,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer said, adding, “We look forward to welcoming Governor Gianforte, First Lady Susan Gianforte, and the Montana delegation as they open doors for American farmers and deepen cooperation that benefits both our countries”.
Brigadier General Trenton Gibson, Montana’s Adjutant General and commander of the Montana National Guard, will also accompany the delegation to advance defence cooperation under the State Partnership Program, which has linked Montana and Sri Lanka since 2021.
In 2025, the Montana National Guard and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in disaster response, maritime domain awareness and professional military education.
The US Embassy said the partnership has helped strengthen disaster preparedness, maritime security and the professional capabilities of military personnel while fostering closer institutional ties between Montana and Sri Lanka.
Starting his first business when he was in high school, Governor Greg Gianforte has spent his career creating jobs. In 1997, Greg and Susan Gianforte founded RightNow Technologies from their Bozeman home and grew it into the town’s largest commercial employer, creating over 500 high-paying Montana jobs.
After 34 years in the private sector, Greg Gianforte was elected Montana’s 25th governor in November 2020, earning more votes than any candidate for governor in Montana history and with the largest margin of victory for a first-term governor since 1920. Re-elected in November 2024, Governor Gianforte is the first Republican to take office for a second term since 1996.
–ENCL
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