The United Sates insisted that they have no plans to establish a military base in Sri Lanka.
US ambassador in Sri Lanka, Alaina B.Teplitz, in a twitter message said the negotiation on the Visiting Forces Agreement is aimed to facilitate cooperation and any agreement will respect the sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
“Blatant misinformation. There is no plan or intention to establish a US base in Sri Lanka. VFA negotiations only aim to facilitate cooperation and any agreement will fully respect the sovereignty of,” Telpitz tweeted.
Her comments came in the wake of concerns raised by various parties over the proposed agreement.
Meanwhile, US Embassy Spokesperson Nancy VanHorn said on Sunday that Sri Lanka would retain all sovereign rights to approve or deny entry or exit of US personnel, vessels, and aircraft into Sri Lanka’s territory and territorial waters/airspace.
She recalled that in 1995, the US and Sri Lanka concluded the agreement on the status of US Department of Defence (DoD) military personnel and civilian employees who visit Sri Lanka for exercises or official duties.
“We have proposed amending this agreement to include some additional privileges, such as the mutual recognition of professional licenses, how US military personnel and DoD civilians can visit Sri Lanka, fees for support services rendered, and regulations for hiring foreign and local contractors. These updates will streamline processes that are already in place and will facilitate collaboration with the Sri Lankan military on counterterrorism practices, maritime security, and other issues of common concern,” she said.
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