News
Envoy nominee hearings show US, Sri Lanka on same wavelength on shared interests
View(s):By Kapila Bandara
Sri Lanka has expressed interest in working closer with the United States, a veteran career diplomat nominated as the next ambassador to Colombo told Senate hearings, while promising he will protect US strategic interests.
Eric S Meyer, a career Foreign Service officer who speaks five languages including Russian, Khmer, and French, told the Foreign Relations Committee that supporting Sri Lanka’s maritime and economic sovereignty and safeguarding waterways and ports for trade, and locking in commercial opportunities for US companies, are important aspects of his vision for elevating US-Sri Lanka bilateral relations.
The Senate exchanges reflect Sri Lanka’s importance to big powers whose geo-strategic interests converge and even collide in the Indo-Pacific.
Eric S Meyer
Hearings of ambassador nominees followed a rare interview of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake with conservative, digital current affairs magazine NEWSWEEK, on 8 December.
Replying committee prompts, Mr Meyer, who is Chargé d’Affaires, at the U.S. Mission to Norway, was referencing the Indo-Pacific Strategy outlined in February 2022 by then President Joe Biden, in response to the region’s increasing importance to the U.S. and to China’s growing influence and aggressive behaviour. Advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific; developing resilience to transnational threats, and bolstering regional security are among its five broad goals.
In the NEWSWEEK conversation, President Dissanayake assured the administration of President Donald Trump that Sri Lanka is “committed to freedom of navigation’’ and is also eager to deepen cooperation on shared concerns such as maritime security collaboration, counter-terrorism, and drug trafficking.
Mr Dissanayake said Sri Lanka is a strategically placed, stable, democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific and invited US companies to invest in all possible sectors including digital infrastructure, manufacturing and renewable energy.
Mr Meyer told Senators that “defence and law enforcement partnerships are critical to addressing security challenges, including assisting in disaster relief, countering transnational crime and trafficking, enhancing maritime domain awareness, and safeguarding Sri Lanka’s maritime sovereignty and port security’’.
Foreign Relations Chairman James E. Risch, Ranking Member, recognised Sri Lanka’s progress on economic reforms and noted that “if Sri Lanka continues down this path the country will be well positioned for US private sector investment and diplomatic relations’’.
Yet, he expressed concern over China’s influence over Sri Lanka’s critical infrastructure, military and energy sectors.
“I understand Sri Lanka is learning their lesson. I hear they are interested in finally breaking free of China.’’
Mr. Meyer has served as the senior official for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs overseeing 21 diplomatic posts throughout South and Central Asia, from January to August 2025.
He holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!