Rajapaksa to visit Pakistan later this month

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit Pakistan later this month to take stock of the bilateral relations and identify potential areas for cooperation.
External Affairs Ministry here said that Rajapaksa will visit Islamabad later this month without elaborating on the dates of the visit.
During the visit, the Sri Lankan President and the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are to take stock of the bilateral relations and identify potential areas for cooperation for mutual benefit.
The announcement came as the ministry was releasing the outcomes of the foreign secretary-level talks held this week in Islamabad.
Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Kshenuka Seneviratne had expressed deep appreciation for the steadfast support received from Pakistan at the UN Human Right Council resolutions against Sri Lanka.

Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen cooperation in countering terrorism, drug and human trafficking, asylum seekers problems, and transnational crime.
It was also agreed to continue the cooperation with renewed vigour, which includes training of security personnel.
His visit comes as Sri Lanka faces accusations from the UN refugee agency for deporting Pakistani asylum seekers who run the risk of persecution in Pakistan.