“Sri Lanka is a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific, and we look forward to engaging with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and his cabinet to advance cooperation on bilateral and regional issues of common interest,” he said.

President Maithripala Sirisena in October abruptly sacked his onetime ally Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Wickremesinghe’s dismissal sparked an outcry at home and abroad, with his allies saying that China -- which forged a close economic relationship with Rajapakse -- was involved, a claim denied by Beijing.

Source: AFP