The United States on Sunday urged the future new leaders of Sri Lanka to “work quickly” to restore economic stability and calm popular discontent, after the announcement of the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled his palace stormed by demonstrators on Saturday.
Sri Lanka’s new government will have to “to work quickly to identify and implement solutions that will enable long-term economic stability and calm the discontent of the people of Sri Lanka over deteriorating economic conditions, including shortages of electricity, food and fuel”said a spokesman for the State Department in Bangkok, where the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken is visiting.
Washington is also calling “the Sri Lankan Parliament to approach this stage with the will to improve the situation of the nation, and not that of a particular political party”continued the spokesperson.
Read alsoLeak from the president of Sri Lanka: “Within 18 months, we will have crises linked to inflation everywhere in the emerging world”
The United States warned government supporters against attacking protesters or journalists, but also criticized the violence that erupted on Saturday when crowds stormed Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence. “The people of Sri Lanka have the right to peacefully raise their voices, and we demand a full investigation, arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in any violent incident related to the protest”said the spokesperson.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has had a rocky relationship with the United States due to its denial of war crimes allegations during Sri Lanka’s bloody, decades-long civil war and its close economic partnership with China. . In recent weeks, the United States and China have offered to support the island, which is struggling with unprecedented fuel and food shortages.
.
