COLOMBO : Pakistan and Sri Lanka will sign at least seven memorandums of understanding (MOUs) during a two-day visit to Colombo by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan starting today, Tuesday, an official at Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
Khan will be in Sri Lanka on February 23 and 24 and hold bilateral talks covering trade and investment, health and education, agriculture and science and technology, defense and security, and culture and tourism. Key regional and international issues will also be discussed, the Pakistani foreign ministry has said.
“Premier Imran Khan is making his maiden visit as prime minister to our country; this is a landmark visit which will open a new chapter in Lanka-Pak relations,” Rohan Welliwita, media secretary to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, told Arab News. “A total of seven agreements will be signed at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Temple Trees [official residence of Sri Lankan PM].”
“They [agreements] are still under process and we cannot tell the nature of the accords unless both parties finalize them by Tuesday afternoon,” Welliwitta added.
During the visit, PM Khan will hold bilateral meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as attend a major investment forum.
The Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Forum, organized by the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce and the country’s High Commission in Colombo, will be held at the Shangri-La Hotel on Wednesday, where Khan is scheduled to woo the island’s business magnates to invest in Pakistan.
Last week, a spokesperson for the Sri Lanka parliament told Arab News the visiting prime minister’s address before the legislature was canceled due to a “tight schedule.”
In a Twitter message ahead of the visit, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister,Mahinda Rajapaksa, said:
“Look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and his delegation in Sri Lanka. This visit will further reinforce our bilateral relationship and pave the way for joint ventures that mutually benefit both our nations.”
Look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI and his delegation in #SriLanka next week. This visit will further reinforce our bilateral relationship and pave way for joint ventures that mutually benefit both our nations. https://t.co/2nm8IVaU9i
— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) February 20, 2021
In his reply, Khan wrote: “Thank you for your invitation Prime Minister Rajapaksa. Looking forward to my visit to further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between our two countries.”
Thank you for your invitation Prime Minister @PresRajapaksa. Looking forward to my visit to to further strengthen the friendship & cooperation between our two countries.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 20, 2021
The Pakistani PM will be accompanied to Sri Lanka by Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, Foreign Affairs Secretary Sohail Mehmood and other senior officials.
