Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane’s official visit to the United States takes place against the backdrop of a historic resolution passed by the US Congress. The resolution calls for an independence referendum for Eelam Tamils and recognition of the genocide committed against them by the Sri Lankan state.
Wijewardane co-chaired the 5th US-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue alongside Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass. The discussions covered various aspects of bilateral relations, including economic cooperation, defense, and security collaboration, democracy, reconciliation, and human rights.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the United States welcomed steps taken by Sri Lanka to promote reconciliation and human rights and encouraged continued efforts on these issues. "Sri Lanka apprised the United States of the recent developments on reconciliation and domestic mechanisms to uphold democracy and further good governance, the rule of law and the promotion and protection of human rights. The United States encouraged Sri Lanka to continue forward on these issues inclusively, incorporating input from stakeholders. The United States appreciated the passage of anti-corruption legislation and the release of government-held lands back to the original owners in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka."
The partnership dialogue comes at a time when the US congress has passed a significant resolution calling for an independent referendum for the Tamils. Drawing parallels with other successful democratic resolutions, the resolution highlights countries like South Sudan, Montenegro, East Timor, Bosnia, Eritrea, and Kosovo, where self-determination was achieved through independence referendums, often with support from the United States and other nations. The resolution emphasizes the need to prevent the recurrence of past violence, advocating for the Eelam Tamil people’s right to self-determination. It specifically calls for an independence referendum—a peaceful resolution to a longstanding conflict.
More on the resolution here.
