"We have lots of lessons we can learn from Sri Lanka. We should take advantage of it," US Congressman, Pallone Jr. said.

Addressing a gathering of Sri Lankan expatriates in New Jersey, Pallone said that US should be thankful as a country that Sri Lanka was successful in rooting out terrorism.

Pallone, a longstanding member of the US House of Representatives and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Caucus in the US Congress, said the US has been fighting its own battle against terrorism, both at home and abroad regardless of the reasons for it.

He called for a strengthening of trade and investments between the two countries and an increase in US military training of Sri Lankan armed forces.