News
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Pakistan, Sri Lanka agree to strengthen bilateral ties* Islamabad, Colombo favour more cooperation in education, science, technology, healthcare, agriculture, tourism and sports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Sri Lanka have reached a consensus on ways and means to further strengthen their bilateral cooperation and promote peace and security in the region.
The broad consensus was reached during Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
two-day (February 10-11) visit to Pakistan.
The talks between leaders of the two countries were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere and marked by trust and complete understanding, said a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa was accorded a warm welcome. He held talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani,” it said.
“Both the president and the prime minister of Pakistan hosted banquets in honour of the visiting Sri Lankan president. The Sri Lankan president also visited Taxila, which was the first centre of Buddhist learning and a testimony to Pakistan’s rich Gandhara heritage,” the statement said.
It said the two sides underscored the importance they attached to the special bonds of affinity existing between the two countries.
“Both sides agreed to hold frequent summit-level meetings, promote parliamentary exchanges and enhance the process of consultations, cooperation and coordination between their respective institutions.”
They attached importance to the free trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and considered this to be a valuable instrument to utilise their considerable economic potential, it said.
“They expressed satisfaction on work of their Joint Economic Commission in taking all requisite steps to enhance a two-way trade. It was agreed to make special efforts to increase the bilateral trade to over $2 billion by 2015.”
The two countries also agreed to promote cooperation in financial and banking sectors. The establishment of National Bank of Pakistan in Sri Lanka was also discussed.
In his remarks, the prime minister emphasised the need for exploring the true potential of trade between the two countries. He said the commonality of views on different international and regional issues was the hallmark of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Gilani said the Pakistani nation was happy that Sri Lanka was on the trajectory of development and progress with eight percent per annum GDP growth.
Islamabad and Colombo also pledged to give impetus to their cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, sporting contacts, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.
They expressed satisfaction on the defence and security cooperation, and agreed to take steps to enhance air and sea connectivity. They also emphasised on the need to exchange parliamentary and media delegations to promote people-to-people contact. The Sri Lankan president said his country looked forward to expanding trade and economic ties with Pakistan. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk