US to work with Sri Lanka to tackle trafficking of nuclear material

The United States is to work with Sri Lanka to prevent illicit maritime trafficking in nuclear and radioactive material.

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said that the U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership in addressing global security threats is ever-growing.

“The new MOU between the Sri Lanka Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration will bolster our joint efforts to prevent illicit maritime trafficking in nuclear and radioactive material,” the Ambassador said on X.

A delegation led by the U.S. Ambassador met with the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera at the Navy Headquarters.

During the meeting a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration and Sri Lanka Navy.

The Memorandum of Understanding addressed bilateral cooperation to detect and interdict illicit trafficking in special nuclear material and other radioactive material through technical and methodological cooperation, including the installation and improvement of technical systems for the detection and identification of such material at border crossing control points of the democratic socialist republic of Sri Lanka.

Director General Engineering Rear Admiral Ravi Ranasinghe, Director General Operations Rear Admiral Nishantha Peiris, senior naval officers and a group of officials of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo were also present on this occasion. (Colombo Gazette)