Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath met US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Nicole Chulick and US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Jayne Howell at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, with Sri Lanka acknowledging US grants of 10 Bell helicopters and a fourth Coast Guard Cutter, Newswire reported.
In a post on X, Minister Herath said Chulick had conveyed Washington’s appreciation for the “enhanced bilateral partnership with Sri Lanka following the election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.” Herath in turn expressed gratitude for the recent helicopter and cutter grants — additions to Sri Lanka’s maritime patrol and aviation fleets.
Talks covered “progressing relations across multiple areas,” with Minister Herath briefing the US delegation on Sri Lanka’s recovery efforts after Cyclone Ditwah and challenges arising from the situation in the Middle East. Both sides agreed to continue ongoing cooperation and expand the partnership into new spheres.
Chulick is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. The visit is the most senior US diplomatic engagement with the Foreign Ministry this cycle and underscores continued US-Sri Lanka maritime and security cooperation. Prior US Coast Guard cutter transfers have anchored Sri Lanka Navy’s offshore patrol capacity in the Indian Ocean.
The bilateral track is unfolding alongside Sri Lanka’s pending IMF fourth-review Board date on May 27 and the recent China engagement at the SCO, part of the government’s effort to maintain working relationships with all major partners while navigating the Middle East shock and external sector pressures.
Source: Newswire.
