COLOMBO — A senior Pakistani Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has reiterated that “Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Sri Lanka, in both bilateral and regional context and there is a strong political will in Pakistan to further develop and promote these relations.”
The visiting Pakistani official also expressed satisfaction over the process of consolidating friendly and cooperative relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He also commended the bold and admirable steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to promote reconciliation and national unity and termed them a new beginning.
The Minister said that HE Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to Pakistan in April 2015 was a testimony of the durability of Pak Sri Lanka relationship and its immunity to the political changes in two countries.
Expressing gratitude for Sri Lanka’s support to Pakistan’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of the UNSC for the term 2012-13, and UNHRC seat for the term 2013-15, he expressed the hope that the excellent level of cooperation between the two friendly countries will continue in the future.
Recalling the visit and understandings reached during of Sri Lankan President to Pakistan in April 2015 he said that he has come with a strong commercial delegation from Pakistan to take bilateral commercial relationship to the next higher level.
The Minister underscored the need to re-double efforts to achieve bilateral trade target of US$ 1 billion in the near future by enhancing existing commercial ties with further increase in bilateral trade and investments giving new boost to the bilateral FTA.
On this occasion Sir Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena noted that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always maintained close, cordial and mutually supportive relations which are broad-based and multifaceted.
While thanking the Government of Pakistan for its unwavering support in their fight against terrorism, President Sirisena said that Pakistan had played a decisive role in helping consolidate the integrity of Sri Lanka. He also expressed his gratitude for the support extended by Pakistan to the Government of Sri Lanka at the international and regional forums.
President Maithripala Sirisena invited Pakistani investors and business community to make use of highly liberalized economic policies of Sri Lanka to enhance bi-lateral trade relations.
Earlier, the Commerce Minister attended the bilateral trade meeting between Sri Lanka and Pakistan held in Colombo. While addressing the meeting the Minister said that friendship between the two countries should now transform into a deep and longstanding economic partnership.
Elaborating the challenges arisen in the form of mega regional trade agreements such as recent Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Minister Khurram Dastgir highlighted the need to deepen Pak Sri Lankan bilateral engagement by concluding bilateral arrangements and setting up joint ventures to avoid markets being taken over by competitors.
While highlighting potential of Sri Lanka to open trade doors for Pakistan in the East Asian Khurram Dastgir Khan offered Pakistan confluence of being able to give access to Sri Lanka for South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia.