Colombo: Sri Lanka did not give in to American pressure earlier this month, refusing Donald Trump’s forces permission to land two of its warplanes at the Mattala International Airport, near Hambantota.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Friday that the requests had come from US warplanes based in Djibouti, a crucial maritime gateway between Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, on March 4 and 8. Sri Lanka turned down both those requests days after joint US-Israel strikes on Tehran killed Ayatollah Ali Khameini, leading to retaliation from Iran.
Dissanayake said Sri Lanka was committed to maintaining neutrality amid pressures arising from the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region.
“We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We won’t give in. The Middle East war poses challenges, but we will do everything possible to remain neutral,” Dissanayake stated.
The Sri Lankan President, who assumed power in 2024, disclosed that the US had sought clearance for two warplanes equipped with anti-ship weaponry to land at the Mattala airport, located in the island nation’s southeast.
“They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport and we said no,” Dissanayake elaborated.
Dissanayake’s statement in Parliament comes a day after his meeting with Sergio Gor, US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia.
Discussions between the President and US Envoy focused on safeguarding vital sea lanes, securing ports, strengthening trade ties and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Sri Lanka’s strong stand comes against the backdrop of an American submarine sinking Iranian frigate IRIS Dena near Galle, off the country’s southern coast in the Indian Ocean. Eighty-four sailors were killed, and 32 others were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The vessel came under attack when it was returning from a naval exercise in India’s Visakhapatnam.
Days later, IRIS Bushehr, another Iranian ship carrying 219 crew members, sought entry into Colombo port. Lankan authorities redirected the vessel to its eastern port of Trincomalee. Sri Lanka granted temporary visas to 204 sailors, who were accommodated at a naval facility near Colombo.
