President calls for regional cooperation to prevent drug smuggling

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said he is determined to call for regional cooperation for prevention of drugs and narcotics smuggling as the drug menace is harming the youth in the region and would call for such cooperation at the next Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

President Sirisena made this statement when he met with Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, who called on the President at his official residence in Colombo Tuesday (9).

The President thanked Pakistan for the continuous assistance given to Sri Lanka for training of security force personnel. He also expressed his thanks to Pakistan for extending support to Sri Lanka at the international forums.

President Sirisena conveyed his condolences over the death of more than 55 civilians in a dastardly terrorist attack in the Baluchistan Provincial capital, Quetta on 7 August.

Air Marshal Aman conveyed the greeting of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to President Sirisena and said that Sri Lanka and Pakistan have an excellent record of defense sector cooperation. He also briefed the President on the events leading to recent tension in the Indo-Pakistan border.

Sri Lanka Air Force Commander Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala and High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major General (Retd.) Syed Shakeel Hussain were also present on this occasion.