Pakistan hopes for stronger relations with Sri Lanka

Colombo Aug 14 (IANS) Pakistan on Monday said it hoped for stronger relations with Sri Lanka as both countries had achieved development progress and prosperity over the last 70 years through mutual cooperation.

Speaking at an event to mark Pakistan s 70th anniversary of independence Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Sarfraz Ahmed Khan Sipra said it was a matter of great satisfaction that Pakistan and Sri Lanka continued to maintain their traditionally close and mutually beneficial relations in all fields.

"The process of bilateral cooperation has been greatly assisted by ever increasing multifaceted interaction both at the level of people and leaders of our two countries " Sipra said.

He lauded the development progress and prosperity that the two countries had achieved over the last 70 years through mutual cooperation and expressed the hope that it would continue in the years to come.

According to statistics in 2015-16 Pakistan exported goods worth approximately $247.145 million to Sri Lanka as compared with $266.908 million in 2014-15.

Sri Lanka s exports to Pakistan stood at $74.585 million in 2015-16 as compared to $57.801 million in 2014-15.

Sri Lanka s exports to Pakistan include vegetable products rubber fibreboard and coconut products while it imports from Pakistan cotton products cement refined sugar and potatoes.

--IANS
ahm/dg