Astana, Colombo share stance on problems of global and regional security: Nazarbayev

  ASTANA. November 20. KAZINFORM Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev had a meeting with his counterpart President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday.

 According to the Presidential press service, the leaders met during the first visit of the Sri Lankan president to Kazakhstan and Central Asia which is aimed at establishment of mutually profitable cooperation with our country.

The top-level meeting concentrated on the issues of political interaction and activation of the commercial and economic, scientific and technical, and cultural and humanitarian partnership.

President Nazarbayev stressed Astana and Colombo shared stance on the main problems of global and regional security.

The Kazakh Leader thanked M. Rajapaksa for accepting his invitation to make the first ever visit to Kazakhstan.

"Your visit has coincided with 20^th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic ties between our countries. Today, we have a good opportunity to exchange views on relevant issues, get to know each other better. I am confident this meeting will give a new impetus to cooperation between our states in various spheres: economy, politics, and culture," President Nazarbayev said.

Sri Lankan President, in his turn, expressed gratitude to Nursultan Nazarbayev on behalf of the Sri Lankan delegation for warm words of welcome and cordial reception in Astana.

"This is a sign of genuine friendship between our countries. I've witnessed the progress your country reached under your wise supervision and the best example is Astana. I think my visit will allow us to outline the specific spheres for cooperation," he stressed.

The state visit of Sri Lankan leader is believed to create a platform for open exchange on wide range of regional and global issues and a solid foundation for further cooperation.