KATHMANDU, Nepal: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held separate meetings with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maldives President Abdulla Yameen in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit on Wednesday.
In a meeting between Sharif and Rajapaksa, the two leaders discussed matters related to bilateral relations and the regional situation.
The two leaders agreed to further strengthen and enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in diverse fields.
Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan desires to strengthen bilateral ties with Sri Lanka.
In another meeting with Maldives President in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Sharif discussed bilateral ties and regional issues.
“Pakistan gives special importance to its relations with Maldives,” Sharif said, adding that Pakistan and the Maldives are tied in common religious bonds.
President Yameen thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for extending cooperation in various sectors.
On the sidelines of the event, the Pakistan’s prime minister will also meet other leaders of SAARC countries to discuss issues of bilateral and regional interest.
The 18th SAARC Summit is being held in Kathmandu on November 26-27 with its theme “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity”.
The summit is taking place after an interval of three years as the last summit was held in 2011 in Maldives.
The leaders of the eight-member alliance comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are attending the two-day summit.
Earlier, in his address at the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Sharif called for a dispute-free South Asia in order to wage a joint fight against poverty, illiteracy, disease and unemployment.
