Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday expressed the resolve to continue making efforts against terrorism and not let the menace hinder the goals of regional peace and prosperity. In a meeting held on the sidelines of NAM summit here, the two sides condemned the acts of terror that were disturbing regional peace and underlined the need for its eradication.
Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy close and cooperative relationship, based on mutual respect and shared perceptions over the regional and international issues of common interest.
"Pakistan supports the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and we would like to see durable peace and stability in the country," he said.
He said that both Pakistan and Sri Lanka are victims of terrorism and expressed his government’s commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice, who were involved in the despicable attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore a few months ago.
He said that there was some progress on the investigation into terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricket team, and the Pakistan government had been sharing the details with Sri Lankan side from time to time.
Gilani said the culprits involved in the heinous crime seemed to be connected with Taliban network, adding that the authorities concerned had taken some key suspects into custody and were trying to apprehend the remaining with the help of leads provided by the detainees.
"We need not to be deterred by such incidents and maintain our contacts in the popular field of cricket," he said.
The Prime Minister thanked the Sri Lankan side for inviting the Pakistani driver of Sri Lankan cricket team on visit, and said the gesture was greatly appreciated by the Pakistani people.
Gilani said Pakistan would be happy to participate in the next session of Foreign Secretary level bilateral consultations at Colombo and to hold Joint Economic Commission meeting in Islamabad during this year.
The two agreed on the need to transforming the existing Free Trade Agreement between the two countries to a ‘Comprehensive Economic Partnership’.
He appreciated the establishment of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Parliamentary Association in Colombo and called for frequent parliamentary exchanges to forge closer ties between the public representatives.
Gilani expressed satisfaction on the effective implementation of the projects under Pakistan’s Special Assistance Programme for South Asia, on which an amount of Rs.10.66 million had been spent during 2008-2009.
He said Sri Lanka was the largest recipient of free military training from Pakistan with a large number of training courses annually offered by Pakistan Armed Forces. He said Pakistan was willing to further assist Sri Lanka in enhancing the capacity of its armed forces.
The Prime Minister appreciated Sri Lankan government’s decision to invite Pakistan’s Defence Minister to visit Colombo in October, and hoped that it would greatly contribute towards strengthening the bilateral relations.
The Sri Lankan President said the relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka are marked by fraternity, cordiality and support to each other on the diverse issues of common concern.
He appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism and extremism for the improvement of regional peace. He said the two countries could play a positive role through SAARC for making the region peaceful and prosperous place.
