Khar meets Sri Lankan president, PM

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Saturday concluded a two-day visit to Sri Lanka from February 3-4, at the invitation of Foreign Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry as the special guest to participate in the island country’s 75th Independence Day celebrations that featured a ceremony and a cultural event.

The minister of state held a meeting with the Sri Lankan foreign minister and called on President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. She extended felicitations from the people and government of Pakistan on Sri Lanka’s 75th Independence Day. In her meeting with the Sri Lankan President, Hina Khar conveyed Pakistan’s best wishes for the progress and prosperity of Sri Lanka.

The President reciprocated the warm wishes and underscored that her participation in the Independence Day celebrations was reflective of fraternal relations between the two countries. During her meeting with Dinesh Gunawardena, it was agreed to further advance close, cooperative bilateral ties, and strengthen high-level exchanges between the two countries.

Hina Rabbani and Ali Sabry discussed a range of issues of mutual concern in trade and investment, defence, education and health.

They expressed satisfaction over the trajectory of bilateral relations and agreed to strengthen multidimensional cooperation, and promote people-to-people contacts. In Colombo, the minister of state also held meetings with Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Shunsuke Takei, and discussed bilateral cooperation.