COLOMBO — Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met on Tuesday with held a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees here.

Khan, who arrived in the Sri Lankan capital on a two-day visit on Tuesday, his first visit to the island nation since taking office as Pakistani prime minister in 2018, is scheduled to meet with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday.

Taking to Twitter after his meeting with the Sri Lankan premier, who has also served as the president, PM Khan said: It's a pleasure to be back in Sri Lanka again. My earlier two visits were on cricket tours in '75 & '86 where I witnessed the evolution of Sri Lankan cricket. Today I enjoyed the welcoming hospitality of Sri Lankan PM @PresRajapaksa.”

“We had interesting conversations on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. I want to especially thank @PresRajapaksa for the gala dinner this evening. Tomorrow I will be meeting the Sri Lankan President @GotabayaR followed by a meeting with the Sri Lankan business community,” he added.

Later, Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed several memorandums of understanding in various sectors including commerce, investment, education, science and technology and industrial cooperation.

The signing ceremony of MoUs was held in Colombo on Tuesday, in the presence of prime ministers of both countries.

The agreements were signed by departmental representatives from both countries.

Meanwhile, the adviser to the Pakistani prime minister for trade and investment affairs, Abdul Razzaq Dawood, affirmed his country's keenness to enhance trade and economic relations with Sri Lanka.

Dawood, who is accompanying the Pakistani prime minister on his current visit to Sri Lanka, added that a high-level delegation of Pakistani businessmen is currently in Colombo to explore opportunities for economic, trade and investment cooperation with Sri Lanka. — Agencies