WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Senate report recommends that the United States should step up engagement with Sri Lanka or risk ruining ties with the South Asian country.
The report released Monday, Dec. 7, by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warns that neglecting Sri Lanka as it emerges from three decades of bloody civil war could result in a shift toward China and other countries that place “greater value on security over freedoms.”
The report says root causes behind political and social conflict must be urgently tackled.
The report says Sri Lanka sees ties with the United States “to be on a downward trajectory.”
It says this rift is leading to Colombo’s realignment toward Myanmar, China, Iran, and Libya and will have consequences for U.S. interests in the region. ♦