Sri Lanka flexes diplomatic muscle, plays host to major world powers

On 14 January – Sri Lanka hosted high-level visits from the US, Russia, China, and Japan. With high-ranking diplomats of these powerful nations not only engaging with government leadership but also taking tours in across Colombo

New Delhi:  With geopolitical competition intensifying in Asia and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), speculation is rife over Sri Lanka’s role in the continent. The day of 14th January – was underlined as a day of diplomatic buffet for world powers in the history of Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs. As the island nation, under Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, hosted high-level visits from four representatives of most powerful countries on the same day.

This new attention to India’s neighbor in IOR is quickly becoming a subject of intense political scrutiny in diplomatic circles. 

Last week, Sri Lanka hosted Assistant Secretary of State of the United States of America, Alice Wells, Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov and State Minister of Japan Kozo Yamamoto. These high-ranking diplomats not only engaged with the government leadership in the country but also took out time touring in pre-selected regions of Colombo.

There has been much speculation as to why four top-tier officials from four of the most powerful states in the world were in Sri Lanka on the same day – 14 January. According to reports, the visitors, apart from their official meetings with government leaders, also met with the high-ranking officials, military officers, and businessmen causing much furor in the Indian sub-continent region.

These representatives held discussions with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena.

Assistant Secretary of State of the United States of America Alice Wells met with President Rajapaksa in the afternoon of 14 January at the President’s Office and engaged in discussions with him; she brought with her a special letter sent by President of the United States of America outlining the willingness and eagerness to work together with Sri Lanka in unity.

On the same day, the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov met with our President and promised him that Russia is ready to provide all support necessary to secure the safety and security of Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister of China Wan Yi visited Sri Lanka as a hasty detour from his scheduled trip to Africa and he met with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa along with President on 14 January as well. The Chinese diplomat discussed bilateral relations with his Lankan counterparts. During the meeting, Wang also emphasized Beijing’s principle of non-interference in the island nation’s internal affairs.

With the visit of State Minister Kozo Yamamoto, Japan declared that it would take steps to further strengthen long-standing bilateral relations with Sri Lanka. The minister was quoted saying “Sri Lanka has a secure and stable Government. The economy is also progressing. In this context, favorable investment environment has been created in Sri Lanka for Japanese investors. As a country that has mastered industries such as security and the development of high-quality infrastructure among many other fields, Japan has a lot to offer Sri Lanka.”

Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is making preparations for an official visit to China on the invitation of the Chinese government set for next month. In the meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, the President’s Office has ironed out the details of preliminary preparations for his visit to Beijing.

As Sri Lankan President discusses diplomacy in China, his Prime Minister is slated to visit India in early February and hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. This will be Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first trip to India after assuming office in November 2019 and the third high-level visit to New Delhi by a member of the new Sri Lankan government.