President accords warm welcome to King of Swaziland

Disna MUDALIGE

King Mswati 3 and Madam Inkhosikati Make Mahlangu of the Kingdom of Swaziland werewarmly welcomed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

King Mswati 3, who is on a three day state visit to Sri Lanka, arrived on Monday. This was his first visit to South Asia.

The King and the delegation were escorted to the Presidential Secretariat in a Military Police motorcade and Police Mounted Division. After being heralded by traditional dancers amidst school children waving national flags of the two countries , the King was

welcomed on the red carpet by the President and was escorted to the Saluting Dias.

King Mswati and Madam Mahlangu were accorded a Guard of Honour by Sri Lanka Army on the lawn of the Presidential Secretariat.

The national anthems of both countries were played by the Sri Lanka Army band, following a Presidential Salute accorded by the Army.

The king and the President descended from the Saluting Dais after a twenty one gun salute by the Army. Thereafter the King, the President, the First Lady and Madam Mahlangu walked towards the receiving line and greeted each other.

The President introduced the dignitaries to the king before they proceeded into the Secretariat for bilateral talks. One on one meeting was also held between the king and the President.

An agreement on economic, commercial and technical cooperation was signed between the two governments.

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Mtiti Fakudze signed the agreement on behalf of the two parties in the presence of the Heads of two States.

The King also signed the visitors' book at the Presidential Secretariat. The Swaziland delegation is to visit the Parliament complex, Independence Square and Gangaramaya temple today for sight seeing before they leave the country in the evening.

Senior Ministers A H M Fowzie and Dr Sarath Amunugama, Ministers S B Dissanayake and Mahinda Yapa, Deputy Minister Neomal Perera, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Finance and Planning Secretary P B Jayasundara, Army Commandor Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya also participated in the occasion.