• Will hold talks with President, PM and FM this morning
• Visit aimed at advancing common goals for free and open Indo-Pacific region
• Will wind-up tour with visit to St. Anthony’s Shrine Kochchikade

By Chandani Kirinde  

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo arrived in Colombo last night for a brief visit during which he will meet with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He was met on arrival by State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Basnayaka, Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayantha Colombage and US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz.

“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. #USwithSL,” Pompeo said on Twitter soon after landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). Pompeo arrived in Colombo after a two-day visit to India as part of a five-day trip to Asia which will also take him to the Maldives and Indonesia.

The stopover in Sri Lanka is 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 Statement Department ahead of his visit.

Pompeo will also meet with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena this morning after meeting with the President and Prime Minister earlier in the day.

He will wind up his tour with a visit to the St. Anthony’s Shrine at Kochchikade, one of the worst affected in last April’s Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, before flying off to the Maldives.

During talks with the President and the Prime Minister, Pompeo is expected to highlight Sri Lanka’s importance as an Indo-Pacific partner on security and economic issues and to emphasise the commitment of the US to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and encourage progress on governance and reconciliation priorities.

Pompeo is the second US State Secretary to visit the country within the past six years. John Kerry visited Sri Lanka in March 2015.

Pompeo will travel to Male this afternoon.

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