• Sri Lanka had taken note of giant strides made by that country in the agriculture sector

 Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who delivered a speech in Dhaka, Bangladesh said Sri Lanka had taken note of giant strides made by that country in the agriculture sector and looked forward to close cooperation in this regard.  

The Prime Minister undertook a visit of Bangladesh yesterday. He gave this speech on the occasion of the centenary birthday of Bangladeshi founder leader Sheik Mujibur Rahaman and the golden jubilee of that country.   
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is considered a rising powerhouse in the region, and also a close economic and investment partner of Sri Lanka. He said Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s concept of blue economy in the Bay of Bengal is encouraging.  

Commenting on historical ties between the two countries, Mr. Rajapaksa said people from the Bengali region had migrated to Sri Lanka as far as 2,500 years ago. Also, he said there is historical evidence of trading between the two sides in the sixth century B.C.   

“I arrived in Bangladesh with great happiness to participate in this occasion considered historic by the people of Bangladesh. Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, I arrived here with the message of cooperation from the Sri Lankan people,” he said. 

• There is historical evidence of trading between the two sides in the sixth century B.C.
• Bangladesh is considered a rising powerhouse in the region