US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo (Mike Pompeo) arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday (27) for a two-day visit to hold bilateral talks on the economic partnership between the US and Sri Lanka with Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in conversation with Ada Derana 24 HydePark Host Indeewari Amuwatte, 28 October 2020. Photo Ada Derana 24[/caption]
This visit came with much backlash from China, as the US and China are currently embroiled in a power struggle over mutual economic, political, and security interests.
Against this backdrop, speaking to @HydePark Host Indeewari Amuwatte on Ada Derana 24, Secretary of State Pompeo reiterated the purpose behind his visit and spoke of plans to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Excerpts of the interview:
Thank you for your time here with us Secretary Pompeo. Your visit here is termed crucial, seen as a rare one, and peculiar given the timing of the visit. What's so important that you had to communicate at this juncture?
Thanks for giving me the chance to be with you. It's been wonderful to be here in Colombo. I'm in this region a lot, and I planned to come here earlier but the world just got in the way, and I had to delay it a bit so I managed to get here now. I'm thrilled to be here. It's an important time in the history of the region. Great democracies like the one that we have here in Sri Lanka, and the one we have in the US have a shared vision on how life ought to operate; there ought to be sovereign nations and free people who get the chance to live the lives they want, and the US is here to share that message. The US stands ready to do all that we can to recognise Sri Lanka's sovereignty but to make sure that the people of Sri Lanka understand that the US is a friend and a partner in a democracy with a shared vision for how the world ought to operate.
How would you term future relations of Sri Lanka and the US, given this crucial visit in Sri Lanka and the comment made by Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry for enhanced relations with the US?
There are many opportunities and many things we can do. We talked a lot of private businesses investing here. Not only those who are here today investing more, but new opportunities in agricultural or renewable energy and technology, and lots of opportunities for the Sri Lankan people. Sri Lanka has to do its part; it's got to be welcoming and have the rule of law and transparency so that American investors will want to come and invest here. But I'm confident that we will deliver on that, and when we do, it will be good for American companies that will come here, but it will be really good for the Sri Lankan people. There will be jobs and opportunities and wealth creation, and all the things that democracies and the private sector can do in a way that authoritarian regimes simply can't.
Also Mr. Secretary, recent comments by Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson urging Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity as Sri Lanka's largest trading partner. What exactly are these difficult decisions or choices that the US expects Sri Lanka to take?
I know precisely the things that Sri Lanka needs to do but more importantly the Sri Lankan people know, and the Sri Lankan leadership. This isn't about America imposing its vision on Sri Lanka. Quite the opposite. It is Sri Lanka sharing with America the things we can do to make life better for the Sri Lankan people here. Those are the choices we hope Sri Lanka's Government makes. When it does, there will be opportunity; there will be good partnerships, not only with the US but with the other democracies in the region. I travelled from India; I will travel from here today to the Maldives. I've been in Asia and South East Asia a great deal in my time as the Secretary of State, whether it be South Korea, Australia, or Japan. These democracies have the opportunity to work together, so I'm confident that Sri Lanka will want to be part of that. Part of what prospectively looks like real opportunity and real sovereignty. Those are the things that will make life better for the Sri Lankan people, not a history where you have other countries show up and put huge debt on the country and impose huge burdens on the country. And when they come here they don't show up with the private sector and don't hire Sri Lankans. The democratic countries including the US have a very different vision. The meetings today give me real hope that we will be able to close together on that shared vision.
Does this mean the US will respect Sri Lanka's wishes to remain a neutral country and not be entangled in a geopolitical power play?
It's about choices. Every country makes choices. The choices will be do you want democracy and freedom? I'm confident that the Sri Lankan Government does want exactly that. When you choose those things, you end up with different kinds of partners. You end up with partners who respect Sri Lanka's decision-making as a sovereign entity, and when there needs to be security co-operation, we provide two coast guard cutters so the two can do good work on countering narcotics, and we show up here and ensure that the terror risk is reduced inside of Sri Lanka. These are the kind of things that democracies work on together. We have a shared vision and a shared goal, and I am very confident that the Sri Lankan people will end up in a place that ends up with a very close and very dynamic, powerful partnership that benefits both of our two countries.
In terms of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement, Sri Lanka missed the deadlines twice. The US is still talking about it. What will happen if it is politically challenging for the Sri Lankan Government to enter into the MCC agreement?
It's one of many things that are being proffered. If it doesn't make sense for Sri Lanka, then Sri Lankans will choose not to accept that. The relationships, the strengths, the depths, and complexity of our relationship far exceed any one transaction and one opportunity. There will be plenty. We will work closely on them alongside the Sri Lankan Government.
Matters pertaining to accountability; you mentioned this during your joint press briefing. How will the US work with Sri Lanka in order for Sri Lanka to work on its accountability commitments and also about Army Chief Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva who is banned from the US? Have these come under discussion?
We talked about all of this today. Look, we have a set of legal requirements in the US and we apply them even-handedly. We try to get the facts right, and we do that in every case. I talked with the President about this, and I talked to the Foreign Minister too. I'm confident that the Sri Lankan people want accountability and justice, and that these leaders are intent on delivering. We will help where we can. Ultimately we can provide some technical assistance; we can work with them in international fora to deliver on these ideas of reconciliation and accountability, but ultimately it will be the Sri Lankan leadership and the Sri Lankan people who will have to work on this. It's important, we hope your country gets this right. It's the right thing to make sure that part of Sri Lanka's history is handled in a way that is appropriate and recognises what really transpired, but with an eye towards what is ahead – all the good things that can happen in the future.
One last question Secretary Pompeo. China is playing an increased role in Sri Lanka, India too, and the US offers the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and the MCC agreement. What else is on the table?
What America offers almost always is companies and private investment, partnerships, and friendship. That's how we roll in the US. We won't show up with state-sponsored enterprises. We won't show up with debt packages that a country can't possibly repay. We won't attempt to use that debt to extort actions by the Government. We want what the Sri Lankan people want – a chance to thrive, a chance to have real opportunities, a chance to travel around the world, and make a better life for each of them and for their families. Those are two very different models. One is for democracy and freedom, the other is a tyrannical authoritarian model. We're convinced that the Sri Lankan people will make the right choices for themselves, as that has been the way for a very long time. Your Foreign Minister reminded me of it being the oldest democracy in Asia. I'm confident that that tradition will be important and powerful and will mean an increasingly good relationship between the US and Sri Lanka.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in conversation with Ada Derana 24 HydePark Host Indeewari Amuwatte, 28 October 2020. Photo Ada Derana 24[/caption]
This visit came with much backlash from China, as the US and China are currently embroiled in a power struggle over mutual economic, political, and security interests.
Against this backdrop, speaking to @HydePark Host Indeewari Amuwatte on Ada Derana 24, Secretary of State Pompeo reiterated the purpose behind his visit and spoke of plans to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Excerpts of the interview:
Thank you for your time here with us Secretary Pompeo. Your visit here is termed crucial, seen as a rare one, and peculiar given the timing of the visit. What's so important that you had to communicate at this juncture?
Thanks for giving me the chance to be with you. It's been wonderful to be here in Colombo. I'm in this region a lot, and I planned to come here earlier but the world just got in the way, and I had to delay it a bit so I managed to get here now. I'm thrilled to be here. It's an important time in the history of the region. Great democracies like the one that we have here in Sri Lanka, and the one we have in the US have a shared vision on how life ought to operate; there ought to be sovereign nations and free people who get the chance to live the lives they want, and the US is here to share that message. The US stands ready to do all that we can to recognise Sri Lanka's sovereignty but to make sure that the people of Sri Lanka understand that the US is a friend and a partner in a democracy with a shared vision for how the world ought to operate.
How would you term future relations of Sri Lanka and the US, given this crucial visit in Sri Lanka and the comment made by Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry for enhanced relations with the US?
There are many opportunities and many things we can do. We talked a lot of private businesses investing here. Not only those who are here today investing more, but new opportunities in agricultural or renewable energy and technology, and lots of opportunities for the Sri Lankan people. Sri Lanka has to do its part; it's got to be welcoming and have the rule of law and transparency so that American investors will want to come and invest here. But I'm confident that we will deliver on that, and when we do, it will be good for American companies that will come here, but it will be really good for the Sri Lankan people. There will be jobs and opportunities and wealth creation, and all the things that democracies and the private sector can do in a way that authoritarian regimes simply can't.
Also Mr. Secretary, recent comments by Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson urging Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity as Sri Lanka's largest trading partner. What exactly are these difficult decisions or choices that the US expects Sri Lanka to take?
I know precisely the things that Sri Lanka needs to do but more importantly the Sri Lankan people know, and the Sri Lankan leadership. This isn't about America imposing its vision on Sri Lanka. Quite the opposite. It is Sri Lanka sharing with America the things we can do to make life better for the Sri Lankan people here. Those are the choices we hope Sri Lanka's Government makes. When it does, there will be opportunity; there will be good partnerships, not only with the US but with the other democracies in the region. I travelled from India; I will travel from here today to the Maldives. I've been in Asia and South East Asia a great deal in my time as the Secretary of State, whether it be South Korea, Australia, or Japan. These democracies have the opportunity to work together, so I'm confident that Sri Lanka will want to be part of that. Part of what prospectively looks like real opportunity and real sovereignty. Those are the things that will make life better for the Sri Lankan people, not a history where you have other countries show up and put huge debt on the country and impose huge burdens on the country. And when they come here they don't show up with the private sector and don't hire Sri Lankans. The democratic countries including the US have a very different vision. The meetings today give me real hope that we will be able to close together on that shared vision.
Does this mean the US will respect Sri Lanka's wishes to remain a neutral country and not be entangled in a geopolitical power play?
It's about choices. Every country makes choices. The choices will be do you want democracy and freedom? I'm confident that the Sri Lankan Government does want exactly that. When you choose those things, you end up with different kinds of partners. You end up with partners who respect Sri Lanka's decision-making as a sovereign entity, and when there needs to be security co-operation, we provide two coast guard cutters so the two can do good work on countering narcotics, and we show up here and ensure that the terror risk is reduced inside of Sri Lanka. These are the kind of things that democracies work on together. We have a shared vision and a shared goal, and I am very confident that the Sri Lankan people will end up in a place that ends up with a very close and very dynamic, powerful partnership that benefits both of our two countries.
In terms of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement, Sri Lanka missed the deadlines twice. The US is still talking about it. What will happen if it is politically challenging for the Sri Lankan Government to enter into the MCC agreement?
It's one of many things that are being proffered. If it doesn't make sense for Sri Lanka, then Sri Lankans will choose not to accept that. The relationships, the strengths, the depths, and complexity of our relationship far exceed any one transaction and one opportunity. There will be plenty. We will work closely on them alongside the Sri Lankan Government.
Matters pertaining to accountability; you mentioned this during your joint press briefing. How will the US work with Sri Lanka in order for Sri Lanka to work on its accountability commitments and also about Army Chief Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva who is banned from the US? Have these come under discussion?
We talked about all of this today. Look, we have a set of legal requirements in the US and we apply them even-handedly. We try to get the facts right, and we do that in every case. I talked with the President about this, and I talked to the Foreign Minister too. I'm confident that the Sri Lankan people want accountability and justice, and that these leaders are intent on delivering. We will help where we can. Ultimately we can provide some technical assistance; we can work with them in international fora to deliver on these ideas of reconciliation and accountability, but ultimately it will be the Sri Lankan leadership and the Sri Lankan people who will have to work on this. It's important, we hope your country gets this right. It's the right thing to make sure that part of Sri Lanka's history is handled in a way that is appropriate and recognises what really transpired, but with an eye towards what is ahead – all the good things that can happen in the future.
One last question Secretary Pompeo. China is playing an increased role in Sri Lanka, India too, and the US offers the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and the MCC agreement. What else is on the table?
What America offers almost always is companies and private investment, partnerships, and friendship. That's how we roll in the US. We won't show up with state-sponsored enterprises. We won't show up with debt packages that a country can't possibly repay. We won't attempt to use that debt to extort actions by the Government. We want what the Sri Lankan people want – a chance to thrive, a chance to have real opportunities, a chance to travel around the world, and make a better life for each of them and for their families. Those are two very different models. One is for democracy and freedom, the other is a tyrannical authoritarian model. We're convinced that the Sri Lankan people will make the right choices for themselves, as that has been the way for a very long time. Your Foreign Minister reminded me of it being the oldest democracy in Asia. I'm confident that that tradition will be important and powerful and will mean an increasingly good relationship between the US and Sri Lanka.