The United States National Security Advisor (NSA) last week (3) had spoken to his Sri Lanka counterpart Sagala Ratnayake, the White House said in a press release.
The telephone call comes amidst Sri Lanka and the United States discussing the donation of a maritime patrol aircraft, and a decommissioned US Coast Guard Cutter to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has also sought US assistance in reviving the island’s airlift, maritime domain awareness and special operations capacity, while seeking support to secure a broader role in United Nations peacekeeping duties.
The US-Sri Lanka defence/security partnership has been gradually growing over the past decade, with a focus on maritime security related areas, amongst others.
“National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by telephone on Wednesday with Sri Lankan National Security Advisor Sagala Ratnayake. Their discussion covered areas of bilateral engagement including U.S. support to Sri Lanka’s security and sovereignty, Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to complete the fiscal, monetary, and governance elements of its IMF program, and future opportunities for cooperation.National Security Advisor Sullivan expressed his interest in maintaining an ongoing engagement with Sri Lanka in order to collaboratively pursue peace and security in the region” the White House said.
Attempts to contact Ratnayake regarding last week’s discussions failed.
Source: the morning
