Sri Lanka and Pakistan signed four agreements yesterday to enhance trade and investments between the two countries. The Agreements were signed in the presence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the visiting Pakistani President Mr. Asif Ali Zardari. These agreements cover Visa abolition for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports, Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation, Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, and Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Arts and Creative Studies between National College of Arts of Pakistan and University of Visual and Performing Arts of Sri Lanka.
The signing of agreements was preceded by bilateral talks between the Sri Lankan and Pakistani delegations which focused on increasing trade and investment between the two countries, and cooperation in fields such as defence, agriculture, health and education.
President Rajapaksa stated that it was a good omen that the Pakistani President was the first state leader to visit Sri Lanka after the swearing in of his second term of office. He expressed his appreciation for the support given by Pakistan during Sri Lanka's war against terrorism.
President Rajapaksa also stated that he hoped Pakistan would recover soon from the devastation caused by floods and come out stronger. He noted that the two countries have common positions on many matters at regional and multilateral forums and relations can be strengthened through the Sri Lanka - Pakistan Parliamentarians' Friendship Association
Pakistani President responded stating that he can feel Sri Lanka's pain as he too is a victim of terrorism. The Pakistani President recalled the unfortunate incident the Sri Lanka cricket team had to face in Pakistan and said that culprits have been punished. The Pakistani President also stated that he has instructed relevant authorities to resume Pakistan International Airline flights to Sri Lanka and is discussing the establishment of a branch of the Pakistan National Bank in Sri Lanka. He added that Pakistan looks forward to Sri Lanka being a foremost tourist destination in the world.
The Sri Lankan delegation included Ministers Prof. G. L. Peiris, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Bandula Gunawardena, T B Ekanayake, A H M Fowzie, Basil Rajapaksa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Treasury Secretary P B Jayasundara and other officials.
The Pakistani delegation included the Minister of Defence, C H Ahmad Mukhar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Makhdoom Qureshi, Minister of Finance/ Sindh Provicne Sayed Murad Ali Shah, High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Ms. Seema Baloch, Military Secretary to the President Brig. Syed Muhammad Adnan and other government and High Commission officials. 
