By NNN-APP,
Colombo : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama on Wednesday agreed on the need to further deepen ties between their countries and work closely under SAARC to promote regional cooperation.
Foreign Minister Qureshi is currently in Sri Lanka which is hosting the 15th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The Minister said Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy excellent relations which are based on mutual trust and commonality of interest in maintaining regional peace, security and stability.
He emphasised that Pakistan supports the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and hoped that a lasting and durable peace in that country would soon be achieved.
The two ministers reviewed the whole ambit of bilateral relations and agreed that Pakistan and Sri Lanka should deepen their relations and make them more meaningful.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama appreciated the assistance and help extended to his country by Pakistan in the hours of need.
He said that bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Pakistan had grown significantly in the last couple of years which could reach the target of one billion dollars in near future.
He said there was an immense potential for economic cooperation between the two countries.
Sri Lanka was ready to provide its expertise of hospitality and tourism industry to develop those in Pakistan, he added.
The two foreign ministers agreed that the two countries could cooperate closely under SAARC to promote regional cooperation.
They appreciated the progress made by SAARC in a number of areas, and emphasised the need to expand and intensify project-oriented cooperation under SAARC.