COLOMBO: Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena emphasised the need to further consolidate bilateral relations with Pakistan, in his meeting with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.
Emphasizing the need to expand economic relations between the two countries, President Sirisena said Pakistan could invest in sugar and cement industries as there was a huge requirement of sugar and cement in Sri Lanka. He pointed out that currently Sri Lanka produced only 20 percent of its sugar requirement. The foreign secretary highlighted the immense goodwill for Sri Lanka in Pakistan which continued to encourage them to further strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations. She also expressed Pakistan’s desire to expand the trade relations between the two countries. She said Pakistan would assist Sri Lanka’s livestock and milk production sectors and programs had already been formulated in consultation with Sri Lankan institutions. Foreign Secretary Janjua assured Pakistan would continue to assist Sri Lanka to take the economic and trade relationship between the two countries to a stronger level. She said Pakistan was ready to assist Sri Lanka’s development activities whenever required.
President Sirisena expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by Pakistan to Sri Lanka as a true friend and a brother, during the period of conflict in the country. He also expressed gratefulness for the assistance given by Pakistan to Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Janjua said she attended the UNHRC Session in Geneva in September and was glad she could speak in support of Sri Lanka at the forum. President Sirisena said Sri Lanka would extend support to Pakistan to hold the next Summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and said it was important to strengthen SAARC to ensure regional cooperation. Pakistani foreign secretary arrived in Colombo to lead the Pakistan delegation to the 5th round of bilateral political consultations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The 4th round of talks was held in August 2014 in Islamabad. During her stay in Sri Lanka, the foreign secretary would also launch the “Pakistan Alumni Society of Sri Lanka”. The High Commissioner-Designate of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Shahid Ahmad Hashmat and the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam participated in the meeting.
Published in Daily Times, October 18th 2017.
