Nawaz Sharif writing in the guestbook on arrival in Sri Lanka. PHOTO: PID
COLOMBO: In a bid to strengthen bilateral economic ties with Sri Lanka, Pakistan on Thursday offered to build sugar mills in the island nation.
The offer was extended during a meeting between premier Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a statement released on Friday read.
During the meeting, both leaders agreed to further strengthen economic ties, especially increasing bilateral trade volume from present US $460 million to US $1 billion in the next few years.
In response to Sri Lankan President’s offer to invest in the sugar sector, Nawaz offered that either Pakistan’s government or the private sector could setup sugar mills in Sri Lanka.
They agreed that bilateral flow of investments could play an important role in boosting economic relations.
Nawaz also congratulated President Rajapaksa on successful hosting of CHOGM 2013. He appreciated the economic growth achieved by Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war in 2009 and how terrorism had been successfully eliminated from the country.
COMMENTS (13)
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@optimist: A Pakistani company has a website? Great...
There is something that people don't know about Pakistan. Our country may not be making small things (such as mobiles, dvd players), it is making big things (heavy machinery, tanks, fighter jets etc). . Pakistan has exported in a way whole factory (complete plants for sugar mills) to many countries including Brazil. Read something on our Texila Heavy Machinery Complex. http://www.hmc.com.pk/products/products.htm
Pakistan should also concentrate on helping Sri Lanka in combating any resurgence of LTTE or any other foreign funded (read Indian) militant group. The rest of the bilateral cooperation will also increase with the mutual trust and understanding. There is no denying the fact that Indian state sponsored LTTE in Sri Lanka.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/india-abetted-terror-in-sri-lanka-in-the-mid1980s/article3419381.ece
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2013/07/28/india-armed-trained-financially-sponsored-ltte-terrorists-and-sri-lankan-tamil-militants/
http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=811
Evergreen Offers from Pakistan ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pls read http://tribune.com.pk/story/86047/pakistan-can-help-sri-lanka-set-up-plants/ In Nov 2010 Zardari made an equally productive visit to Srilanka and made equally productive offers of setting up Sugar and Cement plants. Another case of the FO regurgitating old writeups!
What benefit would it bring for Pakistan? Is there any difference between Zardari and Sharif?
Are there any takers?
Pakistan can't afford to build even a SMALL gas pipeline in their own country, can't afford to run Pakistan Steel Mills without monetary help from Russia, can't afford to run its nuclear facilities without assistance from China, how is it offering to build sugar mills in Sri Lanka? Unless ofcourse Nawaz Sharif & his brother are the biggest benefactors out of this, as always. And then they will conveniently blame their country's condition on India.
What's next Pakistan to offer Load Shedding Technology to Srilanka? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"increasing bilateral trade volume from present US $460 million to US $1 billion in the next few years" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Not even a pretense of any deadline!
good
Correction, Shareef Brother offers to build Shareef Brothers Sugar mills in Sri Lanka. That will profit Shareef Brother Sugar mills.
Oh no! Sugar Mill again? I hope we don't export all our sugar canes to this mill. The Sharif brothers love sugar mills. Last time they opened few private sugar mills in Madagascar and imported sugar from there to make heavy profit and ditch Pak sugar producers in the process.
"Private Sector"....but of course