Sri Lanka, Pakistan hold bilateral talks, sign four agreements

Sri Lanka and Pakistan inked four agreements on Sunday in the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari during a bilateral meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat.


The Sri Lankan government said the bilateral discussions between the visiting Pakistani President and President Rajapaksa had centered on increasing trade and investment between the two countries, and cooperation in fields such as defence, agriculture, health, and education.


President Zardari has said that relevant authorities have been instructed to resume Pakistan International Airline flights to Sri Lanka and discussions on establishing a branch of the Pakistan National Bank in Sri Lanka is in the cards.
The visiting President had added that his country is looking forward for Sri Lanka to become a foremost tourist destination in the world.
During the meeting President Rajapaksa has expressed hope that Pakistan would recover soon from the devastation caused by floods and come out stronger.
He has noted that the two countries have common positions on many matters at regional and multilateral forums and relations can be strengthened through the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Parliamentarians' Friendship Association.
Following the discussions, the two countries signed an agreement to abolish the visa requirement for their diplomatic and official passport holders. Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries.
Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture M.E. Karunatileka and Pakistan High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms. Seema Illahi Baloch signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on agricultural corporation.
The two countries also signed agreements on cooperation and mutual administrative assistance and on Cooperation in the field of Arts and Creative Studies between National College of Arts (NCA) of Pakistan and University of Visual and Performing Arts of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan delegation included Ministers Prof. G. L. Peiris, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Bandula Gunawardena, T. B. Ekanayaka, A. H. M. Fowzie, Basil Rajapaksa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Treasury Secretary P. B. Jayasundara and other officials.
The Pakistani delegation included the Defence Minister Chaudhary Ahmad Mukhtar, Foreign Affairs Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Finance/ Sindh Provicne Sayed Murad Ali Shah, High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Ms. Seema Baloch, Military Secretary to the President Brig. Syed Muhammad Adnan and other government and High Commission officials.