US Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur arrives in Sri Lanka for high-level talks
COLOMBO – US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, S. Paul Kapur, arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday (21) for a three-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in trade, investment and regional security.
Kapur’s visit, which runs from Sunday to Wednesday (24), will include meetings with senior Sri Lankan government officials, private sector leaders and representatives of US businesses operating in the country.
According to US embassy in Sri Lanka, discussions will focus on expanding bilateral trade and investment opportunities, enhancing security cooperation, and advancing shared regional priorities in the Indian Ocean region.
The visit underscores the United States’ efforts to deepen engagement with Sri Lanka, which Washington views as an important partner in the strategically significant Indian Ocean. It also reflects the Trump administration’s broader objective of strengthening partnerships that support economic growth, regional stability and security cooperation.
Kapur was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in October 2025 and oversees US diplomatic engagement across South and Central Asia.
Prior to assuming his current role, he served as a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval Postgraduate School. He has also been a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, served on the US State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, and taught at Claremont McKenna College.
A noted scholar on South Asian security issues, Kapur has authored several books on regional security, nuclear strategy and militancy, including ‘Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State’ (Oxford University Press); ‘Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia’ (Stanford University Press); co-author of ‘India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia’ (Columbia University Press); and co-editor of ‘The Challenges of Nuclear Security: US and Indian Perspectives’ (Palgrave Macmillan)
He has also played a key role in facilitating strategic dialogues between the United States and India through initiatives supported by the U.S. Department of Defence.
Kapur holds a Ph.D. from University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College.
-ENCL
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Paul Kapur – US Department of State
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