PM Imran discusses matters of mutual interest with Sri Lankan president in Colombo

PM Imran discusses matters of mutual interest with Sri Lankan president in Colombo

COLOMBO (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Wednesday held one on one meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest were discussed. Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan and Sri Lanka share common problems including terrorism as both the countries have suffered a lot due to this menace. He said Pakistan faced a worst kind of terrorism for ten years and lost around 70,000 people. Addressing the joint presser, along with his Sri Lankan Counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo, he said Pakistan is part of Belt and Road Initiative of China and CPEC is the flagship project of this program, which offers great opportunities of connectivity and trade. He said now the two countries, along with other nations of the world, are facing another problem of coronavirus. Inviting the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to visit Pakistan, Imran Khan said his country has the greatest Buddhist heritage sites and we recently discovered a 40-feet long sleeping Buddha. He said the northern areas of Pakistan were center of ancient Gandahara civilization in the region. Speaking on the occasion, Mahinda Rajapaksa said we have agreed to enhance bilateral ties in the fields of economy, trade, investment, education, defence, tourism, aviation and other sectors. He said framework for Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement and enhancing parliamentary interactions between the two countries were also discussed. Yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had arrived in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on a two-day official visit. The Prime Minister was given guard of honour by the contingent of Sri Lankan forces and a gun salute at a special welcome reception ceremony held at the airport. Prime Minister Imran Khan is the first Head of Government to visit Sri Lanka after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office last year, which is reflective of the importance both countries attach to this important relationship. Prime Minister Imran Khan is undertaking the visit to the island nation on the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa. Besides meeting the Sri Lankan top leadership, Imran Khan will also lead the delegation-level talks, covering all areas of cooperation between the two countries, including trade and investment, health and education, agriculture and science and technology, defence and security, and culture and tourism.