Pakistani FM receives Sri Lankan trade minister, discusses bilateral & economic ties

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday met with visiting Sri Lankan Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena to discuss bilateral and economic relations, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said.

During the meeting, the Pakistani foreign minister highlighted the importance of strengthening the existing fraternal relations between the two countries through high-level exchanges, it said in a statement.

Qureshi underlined the need to capitalize on the immense goodwill that exists between Pakistan and Sri Lanka by expanding cooperation across diverse areas including trade and investment, tourism, culture, education, defense, agriculture, and human resource development, said the statement.

"All efforts must be made to enhance bilateral trade relations through optimal utilization of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA), particularly by expanding interaction between the business communities on both sides, and joint ventures and investments in high potential sectors," he was quoted as having said.

Both sides also agreed to continue close collaboration in multilateral fora and to strengthen regional cooperation, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

-Agencies