Sri Lanka’s engagement with NATO: A break from non-alignment or a response to regional competition?

In early September, the media reported that Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) met Chief of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, on August 31 during the Chiefs of Defence Conference in Victoria, Canada, where potential cooperation was discussed. Commenting on the discussion, privately-owned Sinhala newspaper Aruna questioned if the engagement signalled Sri Lanka’s break from non-alignment, while privately-owned Tamil newspaper Weekly Virakesari questioned if the move was in response to regional competition.