Factum Perspective: Will Sri Lanka slip up over Russian oil? By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Sri Lanka’s outgoing president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, inContinue Reading
Lasanda Kurukulasuriya
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s whirlwind visit last week has left in its trail many unanswered questions.
It’s clear that for the US, this trip was all about signing up allies in its all-but-declared war against China, under the rubric of what it calls a ‘free and open Indo Pacific.’
The messages coming across from the two governments revealed a certain disconnect. Concluding his visit Pompeo tweeted that his meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunewardena “reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s pivotal role as an Indo Pacific partner.” But there is nothing endorsing this assertion from the government. President Rajapaksa tweeted that he appreciated Pompeo’s stance on “the need to strengthen the bilateral relationship and support for defence cooperation” and valued Pompeo’s views “on assistance for investment and our development needs.”