US Secretary of State arrives in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO – US Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo and his entourage arrived in Colombo shortly after 7:00 p.m. Tuesday (27), on an official two-day visit, which the Sri Lankan Government has said is on the invitation of his Sri Lanka counterpart, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
Upon arriving, Pompeo tweeted: “Thank you for the warm welcome, @USAmbSLM. I’m excited to be here in Colombo. I’m proud of the work @USEmbSL does to strengthen our ties with the government, businesses, and people of Sri Lanka and look forward to expanding on those efforts during my visit.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Saturday (24), said Pompeo will hold official discussions with the Sri Lankan leadership as well as with his counterpart, and that the discussions will cover several areas of the multifaceted engagement between the two countries.
The statement also noted that Pompeo is the highest-level US dignitary to visit Sri Lanka during the tenure of US President Donald Trump.
US officials on Thursday (22) said Pompeo will ask Sri Lanka to make “difficult” choices on its growing relationship with China and also planned to warn the country of risks surrounding China.
Dean Thompson, the top US diplomat for South Asia, said Pompeo will raise with Sri Lanka “human rights, reconciliation and our common commitment to democracy.”
“We’re looking to frame a discussion with them about a more positive trajectory,” he told reporters.
“We encourage Sri Lanka to review the options we offer for transparent and sustainable economic development, in contrast to discriminatory and opaque practices,” he said, in clear reference to China.
“We urge Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity.”
Meanwhile, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) staged a protest opposite the US Embassy in Colombo against Pompeo’s visit to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, condemning the efforts by the United States government to interfere with the independence and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
-ENCL