News
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Pak, Lankan parliamentarians for improving mutual cooperation* Stress for enhancing trade, economic relations between two countries
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The parliamentarians of Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Tuesday expressed the hope that cooperation between the two countries would be increased further to the mutual benefit of the peoples.
They also underscored the need for encouraging people to people contacts and parliamentary exchanges to learn from each other’s experiences as well as appreciated the success of the Sri Lankan government in wining war against terrorism.
A six-member Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation, led by Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa called on Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek, opposition leader in the Senate Wasim Sajjad as well as the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign and Kashmir Affairs and held detailed discussions to enhance bilateral trade and exchange of parliamentary delegations.
Sajjad said Pakistan and Sri Lanka should open up new avenues of cooperation as potential existed between the two countries to enhance trade and economic ties.
He apprised the delegation about the working and performance of the upper house of parliament and its role in the legislation and policy making, suggesting that both countries should work together to identify new areas of cooperation.
The leader and members of the delegation thanked Senator Sajjad for the warm welcome at the Parliament House and agreed to his viewpoint that there existed vast scope for collaboration and hoped that ties between the two countries would be strengthened further through such visits.
Members of the delegation said they would welcome an invitation to play cricket in Pakistan as both the counties enjoyed good cricketing relations. The delegation also exchanged views on matters of mutual interests. Later the delegation visited the Senate and National Assembly halls, where they were briefed about the functioning of both houses.
In a meeting with Senate committee on Foreign Affairs, while welcoming the visiting delegation, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan said Pakistan enjoyed cordial relations with Sri Lanka and their visit would help further strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries.
Sri Lankan delegation thanked the Senate chairman, deputy chairman and senators for warm welcome and hospitality extended to them and assured all possible help and assistance in consolidating the Pakistan-Sri Lanka relations.
Senators, including Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Wasim Sajjad, Professor Khurshid Ahmed, Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Saeeda Iqbal, Semeen Yusuf Siddiqui, Salim Saifullah Khan, Abbas Khan Afridi, Saleh Shah and Senator-in-Waiting Sardar Ali Khan, Abdul Gaffar Qureshi and Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman, were present in the meeting while the Sri Lankan delegation included AHM Fowzie, Minister of Disaster Management Al Haj AHM Azwer, Kamala Ranatunga, Anoma Gamage; Seeniththamby, and Vijayakala Maheswaran.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk