The clarification comes as some in Sri Lanka fear a renewed US interest to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean region
As controversy rocks the Sri Lankan government, the United States says that it has no plans to set up a military base on the island nation. A US State Department spokesperson told WION that negotiations between Colombo and Washington are only about updating an existing agreement. The clarification comes as some in Sri Lanka fear a renewed US interest to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean region.
“We have no ambition to establish a US military base or establish a permanent US military presence in Sri Lanka,” the spokesperson said. The US said that it is finalising an updated Visiting Forces Agreement, which will succeed, what is known in Sri Lanka as the Status of Forces Agreement.
This agreement was reached between the US and Sri Lanka in 1995. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was the president of Sri lanka at the time. The pact establishes the framework for US military personnel to operate in Sri Lanka.
CHINA’S INFLUENCE
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| Over the years, China has made inroads into Sri Lanka. Beijing has showered Colombo with attractive loans running into millions of dollars, which successive governments have found difficult to repay. Sri Lanka has given the Hambantatota port to China on a 99-year lease |
“The benefit of finalising an updated Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is that it will facilitate our ability to work together to support stability, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and other shared priorities in the Indian ocean region,” the spokesperson said. “An updated VFA, if approved by the Sri Lankan government, would simply update an existing agreement established through an exchange of notes in 1995.”
“We envision benefits to both the United States and Sri Lanka, and peace and security in the Indian Ocean region as a result of a strengthened defence relationship,” the spokesperson adds.
The issue has kicked up a storm in Sri Lanka and threatens to snowball into a political controversy that could potentially fuel the ‘Great Game’ unfolding in the Indian Ocean. Washington’s clarification comes as a shot in the arm for Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is being accused of re-aligning Sri Lanka’s interests with that of the US at the expense of China.
― Zee Media Newsroom
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