Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed to work on diverse areas from trade to tourism to defense
Prime Minister Imran Khan reached Sri Lanka reached on an official visit of Sri Lanka and held extensive consultations with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees (Prime Minister’s Office).
Delegation-level talks between the two sides took place after the one-on-one meeting between the prime ministers. The two sides discussed a number of mutual matters of importance including peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the region.
The two leaders reiterated their determination to work together across a broad range of areas. They recognized the immense opportunities and vast potential for mutually beneficial collaboration in the areas of trade and investment, IT and human resource development, agriculture and science and technology, security and defense cooperation, and culture and tourism.
The Sri Lankan government also appreciated the extensive presence of Buddhist heritage in Pakistan as it understands the scope of potential religious tourism between the two countries. The two sides agreed to enhance mutual collaboration in areas such as the hospitality industry, training, and capacity-building.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the close cooperation between the two countries at multilateral fora and resolved to further deepen strategic communication and coordination at all levels. The two sides agreed to continue high-level meetings. The two leaders witnessed the inking of important MOUs on cooperation in the fields of tourism, investment, education, and technology.
It was also noted that both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have done relatively well in handling the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. In the international context, the importance of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” for developing countries to mitigate the adverse socio-economic impacts of the pandemic was highlighted.
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed deep appreciation and sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality accorded to him and his delegation in Sri Lanka and extended an invitation to his counterpart to visit Pakistan.