Durability of Pak-Lanka relationship immune to political changes: Pak Commerce Minister

Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan with President Maithripala Sirisena

Pakistani Federal Minister for Commerce Engr. KhurramDastgir Khan called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s Secretariat last evening.

The Minister was accompanied by High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Maj. Gen. (R) Syed ShakeelHussain, Deputy High Commissioner Dr. SarfrazSipra and Director Ahsan RiazChaodhry. Minister for Industry and CommerceRishad Bathiudeen, Secretary Commerce and Industry T.M.K.B. Tennakoon and other high-ranking officials were also present during the call.

Khan conveyed a message of goodwill from the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan to Sirisena. The Minister said that Sirisena’s visit to Pakistan in April 2015 was a testimony of the durability of the Pak-Sri Lanka relationship and its immunity to the political changes in two countries.

Khan said that Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Sri Lanka, in both bilateral and regional context and there was a strong political will in Pakistan to further develop and promote these relations. He expressed satisfaction over the process of consolidating friendly and cooperative relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He also commended the bold and admirable steps taken by the Sri Lankan Government to promote reconciliation and national unity and termed them a new beginning. 

Expressing gratitude for Sri Lanka’s support to Pakistan’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of the UNSC for the term 2012-13, and UNHRC seat for the term 2013-15, he expressed the hope that the excellent level of cooperation between the two friendly countries will continue in the future.

Recalling understandings reached during the President’s visit to Pakistan in April, he said that he had come with a strong commercial delegation from Pakistan to take bilateral commercial relationship to the next higher level.

The Minister underscored the need to re-double efforts to achieve bilateral trade target of $ 1 billion in the near future by enhancing existing commercial ties with further increase in bilateral trade and investments giving new boost to the bilateral FTA.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always maintained close, cordial and mutually supportive relations which are broad-based and multifaceted.

While thanking the Government of Pakistan for its unwavering support in their fight against terrorism, President Sirisena said that Pakistan had played a decisive role in helping consolidate the integrity of Sri Lanka. He also expressed his gratitude for the support extended by Pakistan to the Government of Sri Lanka at the international and regional forums.

Sirisena invited Pakistani investors and business community to make use of highly liberalised economic policies of Sri Lanka to enhance bilateral trade relations.

Earlier, the Commerce Minister attended the bilateral trade meeting between Sri Lanka and Pakistan held in Colombo. While addressing the meeting the Minister said that friendship between the two countries should now transform into a deep and longstanding economic partnership.

Elaborating the challenges that have arisen in the form of mega regional trade agreements such as recent Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Minister highlighted the need to deepen Pak-Sri Lankan bilateral engagement by concluding bilateral arrangements and setting up joint ventures to avoid markets being taken over by competitors.

While highlighting potential of Sri Lanka to open trade doors for Pakistan in East Asia, Khan offered Pakistan confluence of being able to give access to Sri Lanka to South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia.  

Hussain, Sipra, Pakistani Commerce officials and several Pakistani business delegates accompanied the Minister in the bilateral trade talks with the Sri Lankan side led by Bathiudeen.