No agreement to establish US military base: Ruwan

• State Minister of Defence says Govt. will never sign agreements with any country that will undermine sovereignty or affect national security

State Minister of Defence and Mass Media Non-Cabinet Minister Ruwan Wijewardene yesterday denied that the Government was preparing to sign agreements with the US that would enable the establishment of foreign military bases in Sri Lanka.

Releasing a statement, Wijewardene said that the Government would never jeopardise Sri Lanka’s sovereignty by signing such agreements with any country, and emphasised that the agreements were only to improve engagement between Sri Lanka and the US. 

“I have already made a statement on this matter in Parliament. No agreement of this nature has been signed with the US nor is there any attempt to do so in the future by the Government. Not just the United States of America, but no other nation will be allowed to establish military bases in Sri Lanka,” the statement said. 

He also insisted the Government would never sign agreements that would endanger national security, and if any agreement were to be signed, it would be done with the knowledge and advice of President Maithripala Sirisena by the Defence Ministry Secretary, the statement added.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz has also clarified that there were no provisions in the proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that would allow the establishment of a military base in Sri Lanka. 

President Sirisena has stated several times that he is against signing SOFA, and has also cautioned against accepting a $480 million grant from the Millennium Corporation Challenge (MCC). Sri Lanka is also due to renew the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement or ACSA with the US. This week, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, which is Sri Lanka’s largest private sector body, called for more transparency regarding the agreements.