Sri Lanka President Dissanayake denies US warplanes landing, asserts neutrality
Dissanayake said that on March 4 and 8, two US warplanes coming from Djibouti asked for permission to come to Sri Lanka, but both requests were rejected.
“We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We will not surrender. The Middle East war presents difficulties, but we will do everything possible to remain neutral,” he said.
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“They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles to Mattala International Airport from the base in Djibouti, and we said no,” the Sri Lankan president said.
Dissanayake’s statement came a day after his meeting with US Special Representative for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor.
The two leaders discussed U.S. efforts to protect vital sea lanes and secure ports, strengthen mutually beneficial trade and commercial ties, and advance a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, the statement said.
On March 4, the United States torpedoed the Iranian frigate Iris Dena off the island’s southern coastal town of Galle, killing 84 sailors, with 32 sailors being rescued.
The ship was returning home from Visakhapatnam in India following a naval fleet survey exercise.
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Two days later, a second Iranian ship, the Iris Bushehr, attempted to enter Colombo port with 219 sailors on board.
Sri Lanka requested that the ship be diverted from its anchorage outside the port here to the eastern port of Trincomalee. A total of 204 sailors are currently housed at the Navy facility near Colombo.
