Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will pay a three-day state visit to Pakistan starting from February 10, 2012. “Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy friendly and close cooperative relations. The visit of the Sri Lankan president will contribute to further strengthening of the special bonds of affinity that characterise the relations between the two countries,” said a Foreign Office statement on Wednesday. During his visit, President Rajapaksha will meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. A number of bilateral agreements are also expected to be signed between the two sides. Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka in South Asia. Sri Lanka was the first country to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan to reduce trade barriers.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan have also agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by granting tariff concessions. Sri Lanka enjoys duty free market access on 206 products in Pakistan, while Pakistan has duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market. The Sri Lankan delegation will include Foreign Minister Prof GL Peiris, Sri Lankan parliament member Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Foreign Secretary Karunatillake Amunugama, and President’s Spokesman and International Media Adviser Bandula Jayasekara.
