United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu is expected to visit Sri Lanka this week.
A high-ranking delegation from the US government is also scheduled to visit the island along with Assistant Secretary Donald Lu.
Secretary Lu is likely to meet several senior Government and Opposition officials including the President during his visit to Sri Lanka, according to sources.
The visit comes in the wake of two high-profile visits by US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power and US Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome Ambassador Cindy McCain to Colombo recently
Secretary Lu had led a delegation to India aimed at deepening the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership last month, whilst the situation in Sri Lanka has also been taken up with the Indian authorities.
According to Lu he had seen tremendous opportunity in this South Asian region for American engagement. These countries can see the engagement of America’s adversaries, and they’re anxious to see what we bring to the table in terms of our economic, security, and climate engagement,” he said.
While he did not mention the focus areas during his visit to Sri Lanka, US officials said that human rights and bilateral trade will top the list.
During a discussion with the Tamil National Alliance and Global Tamil Forum in Washington, Donald Lu had underscored that human rights was central to US foreign policy on Sri Lanka.
The US has been supporting Sri Lanka with vaccines to fight Covid and has also partnered with the country to fight terrorism.
During the visit to Sri Lanka Donald Lu is also expected to emphasis on the US policy for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The purpose of his meetings is to explore the most effective ways for the United States to support Sri Lankans in need, Sri Lankans working to resolve the current economic crisis, and Sri Lankans planning for a sustainable and inclusive economy for the future.
The US delegation also pressed upon the government the need to negotiate urgently with its creditors and the IMF to finalize an assistance package, in order to ease the suffering of the Sri Lankan people and get the economy back on track as quickly as possible.
This visit underscores US ongoing commitment to the security and prosperity of the Sri Lankan people. Our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical.
Now is the time to redouble US Sri Lankan joint efforts to get Sri Lanka back on the path to economic stability. Now more than ever the private sector can make a difference in creating a more inclusive and sustainable economy
First, the debt crisis must be resolved. The US welcomed the steps Sri Lanka has taken to go to the IMF, to hire debt and legal advisors, and begin debt restructuring talks.
