Pakistan and Sri Lanka have signed six agreements, including one on atomic energyas the strategically important island nation looks to build its first nuclear plant.Earlier, Sri Lanka signed a pact with India in February to build its atomic energy infrastructure, including training of personnel.Sri Lanka’s new president Maithripala Sirisena came to power in January in the wake of elections, ending a decade of rule by Mahinda Rajapakse, who had allowed China to build a seaport in Colombo. The move had irked India and the new president had promised to reduce China’s influence in his country.According to the Sri Lankan president, the agreements pertained to enhance economic and trade cooperation with Pakistan. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in disaster management, sports, shipping, socio-economic development, education and narcotics control.
The six memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries include cooperation between Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka;cooperation against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; academic cooperation on exchange and collaboration between National Defence University of Pakistan and Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies of Sri Lanka; collaboration in the field of sports, cooperation in shipping business between Pakistan National Shipping Corporationand the Ceylon Shipping Corporation.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has hailed the agreements, saying at critical moments in post-independent histories both the nations have stood in solidarity with each other.He has profoundly thanked the Sri Lankan president for the strong support in the fight against terrorism.Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka traditionally enjoy strong relations, particularly in the field of defence, as Islamabad provided military assistance to Sri Lanka during the war against Tamil Tigers that ended in 2009.Pakistan has three operational nuclear plants which generatearound 740 megawattelectricity and has begun work on two more, including a 2,200 megawatt station to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast at Paradise Beach, 40 kilometres west of Karachi.
The current trade volume between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is $438 million, which did not reflect the true trade potential between the two countries.However, efforts should be made to increase the trade volume to $1 billion in the coming years. Sri Lanka has friendly relations with Pakistan and Bangladesh should also follow the suit as both Pakistan and Bangladesh were one nation at one point of time. The Bangladeshi leadership should understand that Pakistan is not their enemy country. Hundreds of Pakistanis have started their businesses in that country and it will be plausible if the current leadership of Bangladesh bury the past and start relations with Pakistan afresh.
