Colombo, March 19 US Special Representative for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, discussed strengthening bilateral relations and Sri Lanka's position on the West Asia crisis on Thursday.
Gor's visit to Sri Lanka comes at a time when Sri Lanka has become involved in the joint US-Israeli war against Iran since February 28.
Gor met with Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat as part of "US efforts to safeguard vital sea lanes and secure ports, reinforce mutually beneficial trade and commercial ties, and advance a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific for the benefit of both our peoples," according to a statement from the US Pacific Command.
Gor and Dissanayake's "discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties and Sri Lanka's position on the Middle East conflict and its challenges," the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a post on X.
The US Special Envoy will also travel to the Maldives after Sri Lanka as part of a 5-day visit for high-level engagements focused on advancing cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
On March 4, the US Navy torpedoed the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, killing 84 sailors while 32 escaped. Two days later, a second Iranian vessel, Iris Bushehr, sought entry to Colombo port with 219 sailors.
Sri Lanka requested that the vessel be diverted to the eastern port of Trincomalee from its position outside the port here. A total of 204 of the sailors are now accommodated at the Naval facility near Colombo.
