Sirisena for working together to strengthen parliamentary democracy

The visiting Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, yesterday said Bangladesh's election to the two highest parliamentary bodies- Commonwealth Parliamentary Association(CPA) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) - has brightened the country's image abroad.

He made the observation when Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury paid a courtesy call on him at his hotel suite here yesterday afternoon. 

During the meeting, they discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation focusing on parliamentary process of the two countries, 63rd conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), 136th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and parliamentary friendship groups between the two countries.

Emerging from the meeting, the Speaker told reporters that they laid emphasis on working together to strengthen parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through mutual understanding and cooperation. 

"We have also talked about the issues of further expansion of trade and business between the two countries," she told reporters. 

Describing Sri Lanka as a friendly country of Bangladesh, she said the existing friendly ties would be further cemented following Sirisena's visit to Bangladesh. 

In reply, the Sri Lankan President thanked Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury for successfully holding the 136th IPU assembly in Bangladesh and expressed the hope that Bangladesh would be able to hold the upcoming 63rd CPA conference successfully.

Appreciating the Jatiya Sangsad Speaker for constituting the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, the Sri Lankan President said that with the initiatives the windows of mutual cooperation would be opened up through identifying the areas of cooperation.

Source: bss