By The Pulseline News Desk
Sri Lanka will make decisions regarding Iranian vessels currently located in international waters near the country based on national security and the safety and welfare of its people, Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said.
Jayatissa has said the Government would carefully assess the implications for Sri Lanka before deciding whether any assistance or facilities should be provided to the vessels.
His remarks came amid reports that the United States (US) had warned Sri Lanka that it could face sanctions if assistance or facilities were provided to Iranian vessels operating near Sri Lankan waters.
However, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has said the US had not exerted pressure on Sri Lanka over the matter.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that the US Embassy in Colombo had conveyed a warning to the Sri Lankan Government, with US officials reportedly raising the matter in recent weeks. According to the report, the vessels have remained stranded for several days amid US sanctions and have issued distress calls seeking food and other assistance. Local shipping agents have reportedly said they cannot provide services without Government authorisation.
Responding to questions on the issue by the media, Jayatissa has said Sri Lanka would not make decisions based on pressure from either side but would instead act according to the country’s national interests and the safety of its people.
He has noted that the vessels were not within Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles from the coastline, but were in international waters in the Indian Ocean.
“At a time when there is a military situation and various issues are emerging around the Strait of Hormuz, such vessels can be found in different parts of the region,” the Minister has said.
Jayatissa has further said the warnings issued by the US were not directed solely at Sri Lanka but reflected the broader US position on countries that may provide assistance to Iran. He has said the US was communicating to countries around the world that secondary sanctions could be imposed if assistance or supplies were provided to Iran.
Jayatissa has acknowledged that the possibility of secondary sanctions was a factor Sri Lanka would have to consider but stressed that the Government’s primary concern would remain national security and the welfare of the Sri Lankan people.
The Minister has also referred to Sri Lanka’s approach during the country’s previous armed conflict, saying the Government had avoided taking sides even during the most difficult periods of the war. “Both sides requested facilities from us, but we intervened solely on humanitarian grounds,” he has said, adding that the objective had been to protect human life regardless of which side of the conflict a person belonged to.
He has said Sri Lanka would similarly adopt a cautious and balanced approach in the current situation, taking into account both humanitarian considerations and the potential security and economic consequences for the country.
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