The seventh round of Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was held on 31 July 2024 at the Pakistan Foreign Ministry in Islamabad. The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane while the Pakistan side was headed by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi.
The consultations were held after a gap of over three years, with the 6th round being held virtually in December 2020.
The areas of cooperation that were discussed at the meeting included economy and trade, defense and security, education, culture, media and sports, consular matters, agriculture as well as technology. The two sides also discussed their cooperation at multilateral and regional fora, and the Sri Lanka delegation particularly thanked Pakistan for the steadfast support that it has been extending to Sri Lanka over the years at multilateral fora.
Pakistan delegation commended the leadership and the people of Sri Lanka in stabilizing the debt crisis and stated that Pakistan could learn from Sri Lanka’s experience.
Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan stressed the importance of high-level political exchanges in enhancing the bilateral relations.
At the end of the meeting Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary donated five eye corneas to Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary. This noble gesture highlights the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
BY: The Times Union
