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Original title: Pompeo to visit Sri Lanka and delayed dispute settlement may land
From 27 to 28 local time, the Secretary of State of the United States, Pompeo, will visit Sri Lanka, during which time he will hold talks with the President of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa, and will discuss the signing of three economic and military agreements between States. United States and Sri Lanka. Analysts noted that while the Sri Lankan people were concerned that the aforementioned agreement could harm their country’s sovereignty, as the country’s political and economic situation changed, the aforementioned agreement, which has been negotiated for several years, could to land.
Aesthetics increases its influence in the Indian Ocean
“South China Morning Post” reported on 27 that before Pompeo’s visit, major Asian countries such as India and Japan had just carried out diplomatic activities with Sri Lanka to strengthen their relations with Sri Lanka, which has been continuously increasing in strategic position in the region. On September 26, India and Sri Lanka held a virtual summit at the prime minister level; On October 1, Japan and Sri Lanka held bilateral dialogues on maritime security, defense and ocean affairs.
As for the United States, it is very likely that Pompeo will discuss with Sri Lanka during his visit three agreements between the two countries that have not been finalized. It is the “Millennium Challenge Company Agreement” (MCC) that supports the economic development of Sri Lanka. The agreement has a value of up to 4.8 Billion dollars), the Access and Cross Services Agreement (ACSA) and the Agreement on the Status of Forces (SOFA), the latter two will provide the US military with greater operational comfort in Sri Lanka.
“The Hindu” published an article on the 27th in which Pompeo is the highest level US official to visit Sri Lanka during the current term of US President Trump.
The South China Morning Post analyzed that at present, Sri Lanka’s largest export market in the United States, the total value of Sri Lankan exports to the United States exceeds US $ 3 billion. Since 1948, the total amount of US aid to Sri Lanka has reached $ 2 billion. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the United States provided $ 39 million in aid to Sri Lanka to improve the latter’s control over the oceans. At the same time, the United States also provided $ 50 billion in aid to fight the epidemic.
James R. Holmes, a defense analyst at the US Naval War College, noted that the United States has a number of measures in place to improve its level of interaction with Sri Lanka. He emphasized that although the United States has a military base and an airport in Diego Garcia, the British Indian Ocean Territory, its remote location makes it no longer suitable for the US military to carry out maritime operations in the Indian Ocean.
“Sri Lanka, about 1,700 kilometers to the north, is a better option because it is at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent,” Holmes said. “The United States not only wants to increase its strength in the Indian Ocean region, it also wants to increase its own strength in India.”
Deals that have been delayed for many years can land
Numerous analysts noted that the current center of US political and military strategy has shifted from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and to the Pacific Ocean, increasing the importance of the two military agreements (ACSA and SOFA) that the United States is eager for. for signing with Sri Lanka.
However, because the two agreements will not only give the US armed forces greater and more leeway in Sri Lanka, but will also grant them immunity from prosecution when they commit any crime in the country, people Sri Lankan has long been concerned that signing the aforementioned agreement will damage the country’s sovereignty, it has always resisted the agreement.
In 2019, after Sri Lankans took to the streets of Colombo to protest the agreement between the two countries, Pompeo canceled his visit to Sri Lanka originally scheduled for June of that year. In response, the United States imposed sanctions on the Sri Lankan army chief in February 2020 and prohibited him from visiting the United States, claiming that he had committed human rights violations during the Sri Lankan government’s crackdown on the LTTE. This made the relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka quite strained. The “South China Morning Post” reported that the Sri Lankan government has been unwilling to allow the United States to have more influence on its own territory due to public opinion. At the same time, the two countries also have a difficult gap on human rights issues.
However, the two countries are currently reestablishing their bilateral relations. “Pompeo will go to Colombo to emphasize the US commitment to establish a partnership with the powerful and sovereign Sri Lanka, and to promote regional freedom and openness,” the US State Department wrote in a statement.
Since the parliamentary elections in August 2020, Sri Lankan society’s antipathy towards the United States has weakened. According to a local media report by Sri Lanka Newsfirst on the 27th, before Pompeo’s visit, only some Sri Lankans who supported the opposition Popular Liberation Front (JVP) held a protest in front of the US Embassy in Colombo. that morning to protest Pompeo’s arrival. to visit.
Apart from the changes in the political situation, the Sri Lankan economy also urgently needs foreign investment, especially from the United States, to facilitate recovery. Sri Lanka’s economy was hit hard by the war with the LTTE from 1983 to 2009. Recently, it has been hit by a series of explosions in Sri Lanka and the new corona pneumonia epidemic in 2019.
Political commentator Seneville Ratney told the South China Morning Post: “The interesting thing is that the Rajapaksa government is very strong now. This makes it say ‘no’ to Washington or ‘you’re welcome.’ It shows that it is willing to sign an agreement with United States. ”In addition, Senevilratny emphasized that Sri Lanka will not have general elections until 2024, which also gives Rajapaksa greater political influence.
“However, the Sri Lankan government can wait until the end of the US general election on November 3 before making a decision. The result of the general election will determine whether Sri Lanka will negotiate a deal with the winning Democratic presidential candidate Biden. again or it will continue with re-elected Trump. Deal with, “Senevilatney said.
