Pak PM calls on Sri Lankan president; discusses ways to strengthen political and trade ties

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during which they discussed areas of common interest like tourism and agriculture and ways to strengthen political and trade ties for their mutual benefit.Khan, who is the first head of state to visit Sri Lanka since the COVID-19 pandemic, met Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat here and held a one-on-one meeting with him.We discussed our common passion for poverty alleviation esp in our rural areas.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during which they discussed areas of common interest like tourism and agriculture and ways to strengthen political and trade ties for their mutual benefit.

Khan, who is the first head of state to visit Sri Lanka since the COVID-19 pandemic, met Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat here and held a one-on-one meeting with him.

''We discussed our common passion for poverty alleviation esp in our rural areas. We also exchanged views on how to give farmers more for their produce and get cheaper food and fruits to the population by using technology to eliminate middlemen,'' Khan tweeted, describing his meeting with the president as ''excellent.'' ''We also discussed other dimensions of our extensive ties to strengthen political & trade ties for our mutual benefit,'' he wrote.

President Rajapaksa on his Twitter handle said he had a ''productive'' discussion with Khan.

''The discussions were mainly focused on common interests such as trade, tourism & adoption of technology in agriculture which both countries could positively leverage on,'' he wrote.

A joint statement issued at the end of Khan’s two-day visit said that both sides ''comprehensively reviewed the multifaceted bilateral relationship in diverse fields of cooperation. The talks were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, marked by mutual trust and respect.'' Discussing the developments in the regional and global environment, the two sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to regional peace, security and stability, it said. Prime Minister Khan underscored the need for peaceful resolution of ''outstanding disputes'' through constructive dialogue in accordance with ''international legitimacy'', the joint statement said without mentioning any specific dispute. Addressing the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Trade and Investment Conference earlier in the day, Khan said that Kashmir is the only dispute with India and it can only be resolved through dialogue.

The statement said that both sides expressed satisfaction at the existing bilateral cooperation in the field of defence.

''Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a new USD 50 million defence credit line facility. The two sides stressed the need for stronger partnership for supporting and coordinating with each other in dealing with matters related to security, terrorism, organised crime and drug and narcotic trafficking as well as intelligence-sharing,'' the joint statement said.

The two sides also discussed how to exchange technical knowledge to promote agriculture in the two countries.

The two leaders stated that their goal was to uplift the agrarian economy in a way that would provide higher incomes to farmers and subsidised prices to consumers. Khan said that Pakistan’s agricultural economy is very similar to that of Sri Lanka.

Pakistan is a major player in Sri Lanka’s export sector. The two leaders also focused on the potential for trade promotion and expansion of investment opportunities between the two countries.

''The two sides stressed the importance of realising the goal of achieving USD 1 billion bilateral trade target and also agreed to work towards broadening and deepening of Pakistan Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement,'' the statement said.

With the control of the COVID pandemic, President Rajapaksa invited the people of Pakistan to visit Sri Lanka.

Khan, in an address following his meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, said that his maiden visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral relationship.

Khan said that he was looking forward to enhancing trade ties with Sri Lanka through the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“Both sides also reiterated their commitment to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter and stressed the need of SAARC Member countries to build on convergences, for greater good of the people in the region,” the statement said.

The two sides also signed five MoUs, including in the field of tourism.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is accompanying Khan, said the trade between the two countries was below potential even though a free trade agreement existed.

Pakistan is also looking at ways to promote tourism, Qureshi said, noting that it had several Buddhist sites that would be attractive to Sri Lanka's citizens.

Pakistan has offered Sri Lanka to use the Gwadar port for trade with the Central Asian countries, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in Islamabad.

Qureshi also highlighted the benefits of linking the Gwadar Port in Pakistan to ports in Sri Lanka.

The FO said Qureshi during a bilateral meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena in Colombo underscored the importance Pakistan attached to its relations with Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Khan, a former captain of Pakistan's cricket team, also tweeted that he inaugurated a sports complex in Sri Lanka.

''I inaugurated Sri Lanka's High Performance Sports Complex. It was great to meet the Sri Lankan cricket greats invited on the occasion who had played against me,'' he tweeted.

He also pledged Pakistani Rupees 52 million for promotion of sports in Sri Lanka. Khan extended an invitation to the President and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to visit Pakistan at their earliest convenience.