Emir of Qatar here on State visit

The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani will arrive in Sri Lanka today on a two - day state visit, the first visit to Sri Lanka by a Qatari Emir on an invitation by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Emir will be accompanied by Ministers and senior officials from the State of Qatar, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The visit of the Emir to Sri Lanka follows the first visit to Sri Lanka by the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani in December 2011.

Bilateral discussions between the Emir of Qatar and the President will be held today followed by a State Banquet hosted by the President in honour of the Qatari Emir.

During the visit, several bilateral agreements are expected to be signed to further promote cooperation between the two countries in investment, economic cooperation, tourism, education, cultural and legal fields.

The two sides are also scheduled to ink an agreement to set up a high level joint committee.

The Ministers and high level business delegation accompanying the Qatari Emir will hold discussions with their Sri Lankan counterparts aimed at exploring potential opportunities in investment, trade, tourism and other promising sectors of interest.

These high level visits mark an important milestone in Sri Lanka – Qatar relations which are built on historical ties and shared values. The state visit of Qatari Emir to Sri Lanka would serve to further consolidate multi-faceted relations and closer cooperation between the two countries. It is in keeping with President Rajapaksa’s Mahinda Chinthana vision of strengthening Sri Lanka’s relations with friendly countries in the Middle Eastern region.

Sri Lanka and Qatar have enjoyed excellent relations and long-standing friendship culminating in the opening of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Doha in 1997 while Qatar reciprocated with the setting up of its resident mission in Colombo in 2004.

At present around 100,000 Sri Lankans are employed in Qatar in various fields and professions.

The visit of the Emir to Sri Lanka is a clear reflection of Sri Lanka–Qatar joint endeavours in pursuit of closer economic cooperation and mutually beneficial ties between the two countries in all spheres of interest, the spokesman said.