BEIJING: As a peace-loving nation in South Asia, Pakistan attaches great importance to developing friendly and cooperative relations with its neighbors including Sri Lanka.
However, a regional power with Pakistan as its implacable foe always attempts to undermine Pakistan’s friendly relations with regional neighbors through “proxy war” and provoking internal conflicts.
These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Special Commentator of China Economic Net, former Defense Attach in South Asian countries in an article issued here.
Now, more and more countries in the region have clearly recognized the true colors of the regional power. Therefore, the attempts of the regional power to damage Pakistan’s international image and undermine Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries are doomed to failure.
The conspiracy of the regional power to create tension and undermine regional peace is being unanimously condemned by the international community.
Prof. Cheng Xizhong analyzed that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have historically enjoyed a stable relationship. While their cultural affiliations and diplomatic cooperation in multilateral forums had initially undergirded their bilateral ties, their economic and defense partnerships have further bolstered their relations since the turn of the 21st century.
In particular, Pakistan and Sri Lanka both are victims of terrorism and fight against domestic militancy, which paved the way for intensifying bilateral defense cooperation. Counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism cooperation have strengthened Pakistan-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
He said another important aspect of Pakistan-Sri Lanka ties is their bilateral trading relation. Pakistan has Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Sri Lanka.
In February this year, commerce secretaries from both sides agreed to revive the Joint Working Groups (JWGs) to address technical impediments to bilateral trade and effectively implement the FTA. The diplomatic significance of the FTA and the JWGs indicates the continued desire and potential for strengthening economic relations.
He concluded that defense and anti-terrorism cooperation and the free trade agreement form the backbone of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka relationship. The recent incident in Sialkot will have no impact on the two countries’ amicable relations.
