Sri Lanka Refutes Access of US Fighter Jets Amid Mideast Tensions
“They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport and we said no,” the president explained.
“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 also revealed that Sri Lanka rejected a request from three Iranian ships seeking a goodwill visit. The announcement followed his meeting with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, during which the president reaffirmed the country’s neutral position regarding the Middle East conflict, as he posted on X.
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka allowed an Iranian warship to dock at the port of Trincomalee and rescued its 208 crew members. This occurred a day after a US attack sank another Iranian vessel near the island, killing at least 87 sailors. The unarmed ship had been returning from a naval exercise hosted by India, and the strike drew widespread condemnation for violating international maritime norms.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
