By: Staff Writer
August 01, Colombo (LNW): Pakistan looks to gain insights from Sri Lanka’s recovery from its economic crisis. Pakistan praised Sri Lanka’s leadership and its populace for managing the debt crisis effectively and expressed a desire to learn from Sri Lanka’s experiences.
On Tuesday, the Seventh Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Pakistan concluded successfully at the Pakistani Foreign Ministry in Islamabad. This round marked a return to in-person meetings after a hiatus of over three years, with the previous round being held virtually in December 2020.
The consultations, which provided a thorough review of the current state of relations between the two countries, were co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane of Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi.
Discussions covered a wide range of cooperative areas, including economy and trade, defense and security, education, culture, media and sports, consular issues, agriculture, and technology. Both sides also deliberated on their joint efforts in multilateral and regional forums.
The Sri Lankan delegation extended their gratitude to Pakistan for its unwavering support in various international forums over the years.
Pakistan’s delegation praised Sri Lanka for its successful stabilization of the debt crisis and noted that there are valuable lessons to be learned from Sri Lanka’s experience. Both nations underscored the significance of high-level political exchanges in strengthening their bilateral relations and discussed the possibility of a forthcoming visit by a foreign minister from Sri Lanka to Pakistan.
The delegations agreed on the importance of boosting connectivity and bilateral trade to foster economic growth, with a particular focus on enhancing air connectivity between the two countries. They also saw potential for increasing tourism and strengthening people-to-people ties through cultural, religious, and sports interactions.
Cooperation was also agreed upon in combating transnational organized crime, such as drug trafficking, which affects both countries.
At the end of the meeting, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane presented Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi with five eye corneas donated by the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, continuing the longstanding tradition of Sri Lanka providing such donations to Pakistan.
The next session of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Bilateral Political Consultations is scheduled to take place in Colombo at a mutually agreed time.
