Seventh Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Celina Ali

Islamabad: The seventh round of Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was held Tuesday in Islamabad. The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane while the Pakistan side was headed by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi. The Consultations were held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

The two sides reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations. The discussions focused particularly on trade, economic cooperation, defence and security, education, parliamentary exchanges, culture, media, sports, cooperation at multilateral forums, and consular matters. The political and security dynamics in South Asia and its neighbouring regions were also discussed.

The two sides expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed the resolve to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation. It was agreed to enhance bilateral dialogue and exchanges and to strengthen the dialogue mechanisms. The two sides decided to explore new opportunities for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, connectivity and culture. They also noted with appreciation that Pakistan and Sri Lanka had unanimity of views on several global issues.