COLOMBO: During the visit of US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland to Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the two countries agreed to continue their maritime security cooperation and work together to ensure a safe maritime domain in the Indian Ocean through the rules-based international order. In a joint statement, the US and Sri Lanka praised the US strategy for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, which emphasises freedom of navigation and overflight.

Nuland arrived in Colombo on Wednesday with an interagency delegation, which included Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Amanda Dory, for meetings with Sri Lankan government, business, and civil society leaders.

US G. L. Peiris, Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, co-chaired the fourth US-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue, which focused on strengthening democratic institutions, human rights, sustainable economic development, climate change mitigation, deepening trade and investment ties, regional security, and educational cooperation.

During the talks, Sri Lanka and the United States expressed their appreciation for continuous bilateral defence and security cooperation, which includes joint military exercises, human rights training for Sri Lankan officers, and exchanges of visits, including by US ships and military officials.

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