Talks on Colombo-Dhaka air link soon

FOREIGN MINISTER Anura Bandaranaike led the Sri Lanka delegation at the 26th session of the Council of Ministers Meeting of the SAARC, which commenced on November 11, preceding the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The delegation included Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Bangladesh Gamini S. Munasinghe and other senior officials.

Following his arrival in Dhaka on November 10, the Minister had met a number of foreign dignitaries including his Bangladeshi counterpart Morshed Khan and exchanged views on a range of subjects of bilateral importance as well as matters regarding the SAARC, including possibilities for better cooperation between its members and implementation of already agreed SAARC initiatives.

The two Ministers agreed to hold talks on directs Air Services between Sri Lanka and Bangaladesh via Calcutta, early next year.

They also agreed to fix dates for a meeting of the Sri Lanka Bangladesh Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation in order to review progress in a number of already identified areas for joint cooperation particulary in exchange of expertise in fisheries and tea research.

Observing that Sri Lanka investments in Bnagladesh are on the rise, particulary in Apparel Freight Forwarding, Health, Educational and Financial fields, the two Ministers emphasized the need to fostering existing economic ties and people to people contact for the benefit of the two countries bilaterally as well as under the frameworks for cooperation of SAARC initiatives.