On Thursday, United States urged Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity.
Just Before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Colombo next week, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Dean Thompson, told reporters that the US wants to partner with Sri Lanka on their shared goals of sustainable economic development and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Thompson said: “In the interest of strengthening our longstanding partnership with Sri Lanka and reinforcing our long-term commitment to the region, 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: “We urge Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity, and we stand ready to partner with Sri Lanka for its economic development and growth.”
Thompson said: In Colombo, Pompeo will meet Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to emphasize the US’ commitment to a strong, independent, and democratic Sri Lanka.
He said: “We want to partner with Sri Lanka on our shared goals of sustainable economic development and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
During his meetings, he said the Secretary will also emphasize the ties between people, shared commitment to democracy, and the importance of ongoing regional maritime security cooperation.
Thompson said: “We”ll continue to urge Sri Lanka to advance democratic governance, human rights, reconciliation, religious freedom, and justice, which promote the country’s long-term stability and prosperity and ensure the dignity and equality of all Sri Lanka”s diverse communities.”
To a query, he said the US watches closely developments in Sri Lanka on issues related to human rights. The Secretary will, of course, be raising issues related to human rights, reconciliation, and US” common commitment to democracy, he said.
He said: “Our partnership with Sri Lanka goes back a long way, through a lot of different eras, and right now, we think they’re at a point to make some choices about where they head.”
