Zardari assures Sri Lanka of providing cement, sugar plants on credit

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday assured Sri Lanka of providing soft term credit facility for export of Pakistan's cement and sugar plants to it. He was talking to members of a Sri Lanka parliamentary delegation, headed by Speaker Chamal Jayantha Rajapakse, who called on him at Governor House here. Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek, Speaker of National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza and Chairman of the Board of Investment Saleem Mandviwala were also present on the occasion.
The Sri Lankan delegation, beside others, included Sri Lanka Minister for Disaster Management Mohammad Fowzie Abdul Hameed. President Zardari said that Pakistani entrepreneurs should invest in Sri Lanka, and its government must provide incentives, including repatriation of investment to attract investment from Pakistan.
He also stressed for enhancing economic co-operation between the two countries, including exchange of gemstones cutting experts from Sri Lanka to Pakistan and Pakistani experts to Sri Lanka. He added, "Pakistan can train police and intelligence officers of Sri Lanka".
The President underlined the need for increasing export of Sri Lankan tea to Pakistan and said that bilateral trade should be in local currency. Chamal Rajapakse said that Sri Lanka fully supported Pakistan's efforts and role regarding war on terror to curb terrorism in the country and around the world. He highly appreciated Pakistan's support extended to Sri Lankan army for combating against terrorism.
The Sri Lankan delegation also showed keen interest in Gandhara and Taxila archeological sites. Sri Lanka is the first country with whom Pakistan signed free trade agreement (FTA) which has doubled bilateral trade in the last few years to 400 million dollars and the two nations have set a target to take the two-way trade to 2 billion dollars by 2012.