Sri Lankan President meets Pak FM, gets formal invitation to visit Pakistan

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met the newly-elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on December 2, and extended him an invitation to visit Pakistan. Qureshi also met Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and underscored that the relations between the two countries are time-tested and have gained strength in all spheres and domains with the passage of time, said the foreign ministry in a statement.

Read: PM Modi Welcomes Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Upholds 'neighborhood First'

Rajapaksa's visit to India

Pakistan’s formal invitation comes after Sri Lankan President’s recently concluded three-day visit to India. Earlier on November 19, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also extended an invitation to visit his country at his ‘earliest convenience'. But India was ahead on diplomatic manoeuvring and had already confirmed Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi on November 29.

After the election results, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar rushed to Colombo to meet Rajapaksa and convey PM Modi’s message of a partnership for shared peace, progress, prosperity and security. Jaishankar also met Mahinda Rajapaksa, elder brother of Rajapaksa and the new prime minister of Sri Lanka, to discuss the strengthening of existing bilateral relations. 

Read: Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Gets Ceremonial Welcome At Rashtrapati Bhavan

According to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, Qureshi highlighted the importance that Pakistan attaches to its relations with Sri Lanka, which are rooted in history and characterized by friendship and cordiality. 

"The Sri Lankan leadership expressed warm gratitude to the leadership and people of Pakistan for extending felicitations and best wishes to the new Government of Sri Lanka and emphasized that they looked forward to further cementing the already strong and brotherly ties between the two countries," said the ministry in a statement.

Read: Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa Accepts Imran Khan's Invitation To Visit Pakistan

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