Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Wednesday, 18 October 2017 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Visiting Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua yesterday assured Sri Lanka of Pakistan’s continued support while promising assistance in livestock and milk production.
Janjua, who called on President Maithripala Sirisena, said Pakistan would take the economic and trade relationship between the two countries to a higher level.
President Sirisena invited Pakistan to invest in the sugar and cement industries in Sri Lanka. Pointing out that the country only meets 20% of its sugar requirement, Sirisena assured the visiting dignitary of the existing demand in the market for both products.
The Pakistani Foreign Secretary is on a visit to Colombo to lead the Pakistan delegation to the 5th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The fourth round of talks was held in August 2014 in Islamabad.
Promising assistance in the livestock and milk production sectors, Janjua said that programs in these fields have already been formulated in consultation with Sri Lankan institutions.
Emphasising the need to further consolidate the relationship, Sirisena expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by Pakistan to Sri Lanka during the period of conflict in the country. He also expressed special thanks for the assistance given by Pakistan to Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Sirisena also expressed his support to Pakistan to hold the next summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and said it was important to strengthen SAARC in order to ensure regional cooperation
Janjua said she attended the UNHRC Session in Geneva in September and was glad that she could speak in support of Sri Lanka at the forum.
The Foreign Secretary emphasised that Pakistan was ready to assist Sri Lanka’s development activities whenever required.
During her stay in Sri Lanka, the Foreign Secretary will also launch the Pakistan Alumni Society of Sri Lanka.
