Najib, Sirisena witness signing of MoUs

COLOMBO: Malaysia and Sri Lanka yesterday signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to enhance bilateral ties.

The signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena as the two countries celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties this year.

Najib, who arrived here on Sunday, was on a three-day official visit.

The first MoU was on cooperation in the training of diplomats.

The second MoU was signed between Malaysian IndustryGovernment Group for High Technology and Sri Lanka’s Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation for cooperation in “Foresight and Science2Action” programmes.

The third MoU involved Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation Sdn Bhd on collaboration in science, technology, innovation and the biotechnology sector.

Prior to the signings, Najib was honoured with an official welcoming ceremony by the Sri Lankan government.

He was escorted to the Sri Lankan presidential palace by a horse-mounted police honour guard, followed by a 21-gun salute.

This was followed by a one-toone meeting with Sirisena.

The two prime ministers took part in a bilateral meeting with delegations from both countries for almost an hour.

Najib also attended an official luncheon hosted by Sirisena at his residence.

He then held a one-hour roundtable meeting with captains of industry comprising Malaysian, Sri Lankan and international firms mostly in the services sector.

They included those from telecommunication, information and communication technology sectors, manufacturing, tourism, financial services and agriculture.