Trade, investment to dominate Hasina-Sirisena talks

Bilateral issues including trade and investment, agriculture, coastal shipping, education, ICT and visa related matters will dominate the official talks between Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday.

The Sri Lankan President arrives here tomorrow on a three-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It will be his first official visit to Bangladesh since he was elected president in January 2015.

During the visit of the Sri Lankan President, more than 10 deals would be signed between the two countries.

The deals would be signed on agricultural cooperation, higher education, coastal shipping and visa rebate for official and diplomatic passport holders, cooperation between the two country's investment authorities, collaboration in ICT and banking sectors, transmission of radio, film and television and news agencies.

Briefing newsman here yesterday afternoon, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said a 73-member high profile delegation comprising a number of ministers and business leaders will accompany Sirisena during his maiden Dhaka visit as the President of Sri Lanka.

Giving details, Alam said President Md. Abdul Hamid will receive the Sri Lankan President at the airport today morning where he (Sirisena) would be given a guard of honour with 21 gun-salute.

Later in the afternoon, the Sri Lankan President will lay floral wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar to pay respect to the valiant sons of the soil who embraced martyrdom during the country's Great War of Independence in 1971.

He will also visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi and lay floral wreaths at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bagabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to pay respect to the memory of the greatest Bengali of all times.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will pay a courtesy call on Sri Lankan President today evening.

The visiting Sri Lankan President pay a courtesy call on President Md. Abdul Hamid at Bangababhaban on Friday evening and will attend a dinner to be hosted by his Bangladesh counterpart there.

Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Begum Rawshan Ershad will pay courtesy calls on Sirisena earlier in the day.

The Sri Lankan President will join Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Business Dialogue to be jointly organized by Bangladesh ministry of foreign affairs, MCCI and BIDA in the capital.

He will leave Dhaka for Colombo concluding his three-day Bangladesh visit.

Sahahriar Alam said the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would be expanded further with the visit of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

Earlier, the then President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Bangladesh in 2011.

Source: bss