‘Sri Lanka will never forget Pak support’

Islamabad:Admiral (r) Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Pakistan has said that Sri Lanka has strong commitment to expanding cooperation with Pakistan across diverse areas including trade, investment, defense, tourism, education and fostering closer people-to-people contacts.

Admiral Wijegunaratne was speaking during a seminar organised here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). Reflecting on the historical ties between the two nations, Admiral Wijegunaratne emphasised both countries’ unwavering support to each other during challenging periods. He specially expressed gratitude for Pakistan's assistance in addressing terrorism in Sri Lanka. He expressed optimism for sustained mutual support between the two countries in future as well and underlined the significance of collaborating on regional and global issues where both countries shared perceptions.

Highlighting Sri Lanka's importance as a major international shipping hub, the High Commissioner identified untapped areas of potential cooperation that could be leveraged through effective implementation of the existing free trade agreement. He also expressed Sri Lanka's desire to enhance tourism between the two countries given the very prestigious Buddhist sites in Pakistan. The significance of upcoming Seventh Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was also touched upon by the High Commissioner.

Addressing the gathering, Seema Ilahi Baloch, former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka, emphasised the need to strengthen people-to-people connections. She also called for drawing insights from Sri Lanka's expertise in tourism and hospitality.

Major Gen (r) Saad Khattak, former High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, stressed the significance of strengthening collaboration between the two countries beyond the strategic and security areas.

Dr Shaheen Akhtar from NDU referred to the level of trust and cordiality existing between the two countries since independence. Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, Director-General for South Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for leveraging the high level of bilateral goodwill and understanding to maximise cooperation in trade, education, religious tourism as well as defence and counterterrorism.

In his remarks on the occasion, Jauhar Saleem, President, IRS, appreciated Sri Lanka's donation of a notable 36,000 eye corneas sent to Pakistan alone out of 88,000 sent to the world which demonstrated the depth of the relationship between the two nations. He also highlighted the long-standing multifaceted friendship between the two countries marked by unconditional support during both peace and conflicts. Echoing Admiral Wijegunaratne’s sentiments on the significance of the upcoming foreign secretary-level consultation, he expressed confidence that it would pave the way for enhanced cooperation, particularly in the area of trade and investment.