PM Imran felicitates Sri Lankan counterpart over appointment

Lauds the republic’s ‘progress during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s two terms as president’

Prime Minister Imran Khan felicitated on Thursday his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on his appointment as prime minister of the democratic socialist republic.

The prime minister lauded the progress made by Sri Lanka during Rajapaksa's two terms as president, said a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

Earlier this week, newly-elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa named his brother, Mahinda, as prime minister, cementing the grip on power of a clan credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers 10 years ago.

PM Imran expressed the desire to work closely with the Sri Lankan counterpart to “further strengthen Pakistan-Sri Lanka bilateral relations in all dimensions”.

Heartiest congratulations @PresRajapaksa on your being appointed Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. I am looking forward to working closely with you & your Govt to further develop our historical friendship & partnership & find avenues for deepening cooperation between the two nations.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 21, 2019

He also extended an invitation to PM Mahinda to visit Pakistan.

The Sri Lankan PM thanked PM Imran for his felicitations, and said that he looked forward to working together to further strengthen Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations.

Thank you Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for the warm wishes. I look forward to working with you and your government to better the relations between our two nations. https://t.co/8LBoyAujHU

— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) November 21, 2019