
A committee, chaired by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, has been established to revise the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for granting diplomatic clearance to foreign warships, military aircraft, and research vessels in Sri Lanka.
The committee’s objective is to develop and finalize a new SOP in the near future, ensuring improved guidelines for such clearances.
In January, Sri Lanka introduced a year-long moratorium on foreign marine scientific research vessels operating in its waters, which has now been lifted.
Diplomatic clearance for research vessels is currently being granted under the existing SOP until the revised version is implemented.
Minister Herath expressed confidence that the committee will complete the updated SOP promptly, enabling research vessels to visit Sri Lanka under the new framework.