Sri Lanka joins US-led coalition to protect ships in Red Sea
Sri Lanka is joining US-led operations to protect merchant ships from attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Seaç Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.
This was announced by the head of the Lankan state Ranil Wickramasinghe at a meeting in Colombo with ambassadors of Middle Eastern countries.
"Sri Lanka's joining actions to protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks does not mean military unification with any country, but is a step aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation," the Daily Mirror newspaper quoted the president as saying.
Wickramasinghe said that Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea have a negative impact on world trade, leading to higher prices on the global market.
"As a result, the consequences of this will affect Sri Lanka," he stressed.
According to him, Sri Lanka stands for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the radical Hamas movement.
"We remain firm in our support for the UN resolutions calling for an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip," the president said.
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