COLOMBO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that the country was maintaining a neutral stance amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Informing lawmakers on the steps taken by the government, Dissanayake said Sri Lanka received a request on Feb. 26 from Iran for three vessels to make a goodwill port call between March 9 and 13.
He said that later on the same day, the United States requested permission for two military aircraft near Djibouti to land at Sri Lanka's Mattala airport.
As a neutral nation, Sri Lanka said no to both requests because it wanted to maintain impartiality, said Dissanayake. ■
