Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, will visit India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka on a six-day trip to build a stronger bond with nations in the Indo-Pacific region. Richard departed for the trip on February 18th and will return on the 23rd.
The trip occurs around the two-year anniversary of the February 2022 release of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Verma will meet with government officials in New Delhi and will discuss economic development, technology, and maritime security between the two nations.
He will travel to the Maldivian capital of Male to meet officials, discuss similar topics to further United States relations, and visit the construction site for the future U.S. embassy.
Verma will visit Colombo, Sri Lanka, on the final leg of his trip, where he will visit the city’s West Container Terminal, which is being modernized via a $553 million USD loan provided by the United States. He will also hold a meeting with other U.S. officials and Sri Lankan civil society leaders to discuss the state of democratic governance on the island.
