Kabul, Colombo celebrate 62 years of bilateral ties

KABUL (Pajhwok): Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar and his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena on Saturday exchanged greetings on the 62th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The exchange followed friendly messages between President Ashraf Ghani and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 02 when the two sides celebrated the 62nd Anniversary, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

“Our shared interests with regards to economic and security cooperation in the regional and global contexts should help open new avenues of results-oriented partnerships between our two governments and societies with a shared cultural heritage. I am confident that in close collaboration with Your Excellency, our bilateral ties will further grow, mutually benefiting both sides,” said Foreign Minister Atmar in his congratulatory message.

“I am pleased to note that the bilateral relations between our two countries have expanded significantly since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1958. Significant progress has been made in promoting economic, trade, education, health, defense, and cultural cooperation, as well as political dialogue, in order to foster long-term development of bilateral relations,” said Foreign Minister Gunawardena in his message.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa tweeted : “Today, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan celebrate 62 years of establishing diplomatic relations. The leadership of both nations are committed to continue and further strengthen our friendship and bilateral relationship to mutually benefit both our nations.”

In response, President Ashraf Ghani tweeted, “Thank you PM Rajapaksa, I would also like to congratulate you and the people of Sri Lanka on this auspicious occasion. Afghanistan is committed to a long-lasting relationship. We have a shared heritage, and our regional connectivity programs will build on that in the near future.”

In his statement on the occasion, Ambassador M. Ashraf  Haidari elaborated: “As we extend our sincere congratulations to the Government and people of Sri Lanka on 62 years of our growing bilateral relations, my colleagues and I look forward to working with all stakeholders on both sides to advance our two countries’ many shared interests and to further deepen people-to-people ties between our two nations. In doing so, the Embassy of Afghanistan in Colombo remains at the 24/7 service of all our Sri Lankan customers, whom we kindly invite to visit our website and follow our social media pages to stay updated on all developments in our growing bilateral relationship, friendship, and partnerships.”

Sa/ma

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