President explains Sri Lanka s decision to reject Iranian Naval and US aircraft requests

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake explained to Parliament today, on the 20th, why the Government of Sri Lanka chose to deny requests from Iranian naval ships. While speaking to the House, the President mentioned that on February 26, Sri Lanka received a request for Iranian naval vessels to visit from March 9 to 13 to enhance cooperation between the two nations. This proposal was under consideration by the Government. He also pointed out that on the same evening, the United States requested permission for two fighter jets to land at Mattala Airport. The President stressed that to maintain Sri Lanka’s policy of strict neutrality, the Government decided to reject both requests, supporting the country’s non-aligned position.