S. Paul Kapur, the United States’ Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, arrived in Colombo on Sunday for a three-day visit that will run until June 24, the US Embassy said.
During the visit, Assistant Secretary Kapur is scheduled to meet senior Sri Lankan government leaders, private sector executives and representatives of American companies operating in the country. According to the embassy, talks will centre on expanding bilateral trade and investment, strengthening security cooperation and advancing shared priorities across the region.
“The visit reflects President Donald Trump’s commitment to strengthening partnerships that advance American prosperity and security, while deepening cooperation with Sri Lanka as a key Indian Ocean partner,” the embassy said in a statement.
The stop arrives alongside the parallel visit of US Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin Schneider, who landed in Colombo earlier in the day for his own three-day defence-focused engagement. The simultaneous trips by senior State Department and Indo-Pacific military commanders mark one of the most concentrated high-level US engagements with Colombo in recent months.
One engagement from the trip has since been detailed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, which said it welcomed Kapur to the Port of Colombo on June 23 in the presence of SLPA Chairman Dr Parakrama Dissanayake. The authority said Kapur visited the port to explore areas where stronger economic cooperation between the two countries could translate into commercial opportunities, with discussions covering trade facilitation, investment potential and Colombo’s future role as a strategic maritime and logistics hub. The SLPA said the visit reaffirmed the port’s position as a link in regional supply chains.
Washington has steadily broadened its outreach to Sri Lanka across both economic and security tracks during the past year, against the backdrop of the continuing US naval enforcement around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider competition for influence in the Indian Ocean. Neither the embassy nor Sri Lankan officials have publicly disclosed the full list of meetings or any specific deliverables expected during Kapur’s stay.
