President's visit to enhance cordial relations with Pakistan

Bandula Jayasekara in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: President Mahinda Rajapakse will arrive in Islamabad on Friday on a three-day State visit, his second State visit after assuming duties as the President of Sri Lanka.

During his visit, the President will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart General Pervez Musharraf, meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, address the business community in Islamabad, visit an earthquake relief camp and pay a floral tribute at the Jinnah Memorial, Karachi.

President Rajapakse is expected to thank the Pakistani Government and the people of Pakistan for their support to Sri Lanka during the tsunami disaster.

The President's first State visit was to India in December last year.

Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Pakistan General Srilal Weerasuriya told the Daily News: "It is a goodwill visit and the first State visit of President Rajapakse.

His visit would mainly enhance the existing cordial relations between our two nations". Sri Lanka is expected to sign five Memoranda of Understanding on Tourism, Culture, Railways, Education and Criminal Matters during the visit.

"This shows the importance of the President's visit to Pakistan and of improving trade and other ties between the two countries. Pakistan has been a very firm friend of Sri Lanka and our two Nations together have supported each other at various multinational fora such as the UN and NAM", the High Commissioner said.

Weerasuriya said there has been a substantial increase in the volume of trade between the two countries, after the Free Trade Agreement was signed last year.

President Rajapakse who is very keen to maintain and strengthen good neighbourly relations, told the Daily News on an earlier occasion that he wanted to visit Sri Lanka's neighbours before visiting other countries as the Head of State.