On June 13, in the Palace of the Nation, the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon met with the President of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena.
The meeting discussed the results of the first high-level talks between the two countries held in 2017, as well as issues of bilateral cooperation in various fields.
President of the country Emomali Rahmon welcomed the distinguished guest in the hospitable Tajik land and stressed that within the framework of the country's foreign policy, "we are paying constant attention to strengthening friendly relations with the developing region of South Asia, including Sri Lanka".
During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation in the field of hydropower, textile industry, pharmaceuticals, wool and leather processing, creation of joint ventures for the extraction of precious and ornamental stones, the implementation of large transport infrastructure projects, and the development of tourism.
It was emphasized that for the development and expansion of cooperation in mutually beneficial areas, including politics, economics and trade, the most active assistance could be provided by the revitalization of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, Tajikistan’s access to seaports, the use of transit corridors.
The parties called the creation of a joint intergovernmental commission on economic, trade and scientific and technical cooperation, as well as the signing of a draft Agreement on cooperation in the field of trade and economy, as a timely step towards achieving mutually beneficial goals.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed issues of combating threats and dangers in the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation of regional and international organizations, such as enhancing cooperation in the fight against terrorism, extremism, organized transnational crime and drug trafficking.