Philippines, Sri Lanka ink 5 deals
The Philippines and Sri Lanka signed on Wednesday five agreements on various fields, such as defense, agriculture, tourism and education.
President Rodrigo Duterte and visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena witnessed the inking of the deals in a ceremony in Malacañang after their extended bilateral meeting.
The two countries signed the Memorandum of Understanding concerning defense and military education and training and exchanges of defense and military delegations; MOU on cooperation in agriculture, fisheries and related fields; and MOU on academic cooperation in higher education.
Also signed were the MOU between the Department of Tourism of the Philippines and the Ministry of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka; and MOU between the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the Sri Lanka Council for Agriculture Research Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development.
In the joint press statement, Duterte said the state visit of his Sri Lankan counterpart was historic since it was the first in nearly six decades since the establishment of the formal diplomatic relations of the two countries in 1961.
"The Philippines recognizes [that] Sri Lanka can be a partner in advancing migrant workers’ rights and welfare; disaster risk reduction, response and management; as well as in strengthening our maritime security and addressing the trafficking of illegal drugs and human smuggling," he said.
Sirisena commended Duterte and the Philippine government for the successful chairmanship during ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary in 2017 as he looks forward to Manila's support for Sri Lanka’s inclusion as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner in ASEAN.
He also invited Duterte to reciprocate his visit.
"I have extended an invitation to President Duterte to undertake a State Visit to Sri Lanka at an early date," he said.
The Sri Lankan leader said Duterte's trip to his country would provide an opportunity to evaluate the progress of the initiatives which they have discussed during his visit here.
"I look forward to welcome you and Madam Duterte. We will carry forward our discussion and consider further steps, to manifest thoughts into deeds," he added.
During the expanded bilateral meeting, he promised to help the Philippines in establishing an embassy in his country.
"Establishing a Philippine embassy in Sri Lanka would be highly instrumental.
Therefore, your marking a plot of land for the Philippines’ embassy in Sri Lanka would be --- necessary action will be taken expeditiously, Your Excellency," he said.
The Philippines has a consulate only in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. The embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh has supervision over the consulate in Sri Lanka.
Duterte hosted a state banquet for Sirisena and the members of his delegation. Celerina Monte/DMS
