Top US official Donald Lu to visit SL next month

US assistant secretary of state Donald Lu is due to visit Sri Lanka next month for talks on human rights, trade and investment.   

Lu is making his first trip to the island since his appointment to the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in September last year.  

He told journalists via teleconference yesterday (17) that he will also be visiting Bangladesh after touring India, Nepal, and the Maldives in the fall.

“I have seen tremendous opportunity in this region for American engagement. These countries can see the engagement of America’s adversaries, and they’re anxious to see what we bring to the table in terms of our economic, security, and climate engagement,” he said.  

Lu had a discussion with the Tamil National Alliance and Global Tamil Forum in Washington last November, where he underscored that human rights was central to US foreign policy on Sri Lanka.