Pompeo cancels visit to Lanka

June 19, 2019 16:31

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday cancelled his trip to Sri Lanka, still recovering from the Easter Sunday bombings, due to 'unavoidable scheduling conflicts' during his visit to the Indo-Pacific region next week.

Pompeo's trip to Colombo was aimed at expressing America's solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka as they stand united against the despicable April 21 suicide attacks.

New Delhi would be Pompeo's first stop and South Korea his last during the nearly week-long visit to the Indo-Pacific region, beginning June 24, that was also scheduled to take him to Sri Lanka and Japan.

His trip is aimed at deepening US partnerships in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

The US Embassy in Colombo in a statement said Pompeo will not be visiting Sri Lanka due to 'unavoidable scheduling conflicts' during his visit to the Indo-Pacific region that includes accompanying President Donald Trump to the G20 Summit in Japan.

"Pompeo regrets that he is no longer able to visit Colombo at this time. He hopes to travel to Sri Lanka at a later date to underscore our strong partnership with Sri Lanka, which is rooted in a commitment to democracy, economic growth and a free, open Indo-Pacific region," the statement said. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Fleming hails Dhoni's batting: 'It's inspirational!'

His brilliant form notwithstanding, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot be promoted in the batting order as his recovery from a knee injury has restricted his ability to wield the willow for long periods, said Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen...

Explosions rock pro-Iran military base in Iraq

However, the reason behind the explosions is not known as yet.

CSK Vs LSG: Who Bowled Best? Vote!

Krunal Pandya emerged as the wrecker-in-chief on Friday night.

'It was world-class batsmanship from Rahul and de Kock'

Lucknow Super Giants pacer Matt Henry was in awe of the "world-class batsmanship" of skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, saying the century-plus opening stand between the duo helped them outclass a "very good" Chennai Super Kings...

IRDAI removes age limits on health insurance, huge relief for seniors

The move by the insurance regulatory body aims to create a more inclusive healthcare ecosystem in India and to encourage insurance provider companies to diversify their product offerings.