Officers attached to the office of US State Secretary Michael R. Pompeo arrived in Colombo on Friday (23) ahead of his anticipated visit next week to ‘expand cooperation and promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world’.
Pompeo will visit Sri Lanka as he also travels to neighbouring New Delhi, India; Malé, Maldives and Jakarta, Indonesia from October 25 to 30.
Journalists covering the event will undergo mandatory PCR tests tomorrow (26).
“Secretary Pompeo will travel to Colombo to underscore the commitment of the United States to a partnership with a strong, sovereign Sri Lanka and to advance our common goals for a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the US Embassy in Sri Lanka in a media release stated.
The US State Secretary took to Twitter to confirm his visit saying, “Looking forward to my upcoming trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, for productive conversations with our friends and partners, and the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with @EsperDoD and our Indian counterparts.”
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Alaina B. Teplitz said she was looking forward to welcoming him and the visit will strengthen the friendship between Sri Lanka and the US. She said it would develop the ‘shared vision of a free’ Indo-Pacific region.
During a teleconference on Thursday (22) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean R. Thompson said Pompeo is due to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to stress US’s commitment to a ‘strong, independent, and democratic Sri Lanka’.
“We want to partner with Sri Lanka on our shared goals of sustainable economic development and a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said adding, “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. 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”.
Secretary Pompeo is expected to emphasise the ties between the two nations, their 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 Sri Lanka’s diverse communities,” he said.