The Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has said that the South Asian countries could learn a lot from the reform efforts in Pakistan which had not only stabilized the economy in a short span of time but put it on a firm growth path.

In a meeting with his Pakistani Counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Saturday, the Sri Lankan finance minister said that congratulated the Finance Minister on successful hosting of the 8th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Finance Ministers meeting and said that decisions reached in the meeting would further strengthen the SAARC process.

Minister Karunanayake also appreciated the exceptional economic performance of Pakistan over the past three years and said that Pakistan’s economy was now closely followed the world over and particularly in the South Asian region.

In his remarks, Ishaq Dar appreciated the gesture of Ravi Karunanayake to attend the SAARC Finance Ministers meeting personally. He said that his presence in Islamabad was a proof of the close bilateral relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Ishaq Dar said that there was tremendous scope in further strengthening the economic and trade relations between the two countries and assured full cooperation of the government of Pakistan in this endeavour.

The Sri Lankan foreign minister thanked Ishaq Dar for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their visit to Pakistan.

(DND)