Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mike Pompeo discuss ‘shared commitment to democratic freedoms’

COLOMBO: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with with Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo on Wednesday

The US embassy in Colombo said on Twitter that Pompeo met Rajapaksa “to discuss our economic partnership based on transparent trade and investment, key components of the post-pandemic economic recovery — as well as our shared commitment to democratic freedoms.”

Pompeo said on Twitter that he held productive talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa about post-pandemic economic recovery and development and the importance of “our partnership to bolster sustainable and transparent trade and investment that benefits the people of Sri Lanka.”

Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Pompeo said the “US wants the people of Sri Lanka to be successful and sustained in development, but China has a very different vision.”

He said: “A strong sovereign Sri Lanka is a powerful strategic partner for the US on the world stage. It can be a beacon for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”