Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Afghanistan Admiral Piyal De Silva called on Acting Minister of Information and Culture Tahir Zuhair on 09 May 2021 at the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan.
At the outset, the Ambassador offered his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the brutal terrorist attack on Saturday, 08 May 2021 that targeted school children at Dash-e-Barchi area of Kabul. He strongly condemned the attacks carried out by the terrorists targeting innocent civilians as well as other crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
The Ambassador highlighted the historic bond between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka that began way back in the 2‘d century B.C. through people to people contacts with the influence of Buddhism in the ancient Indian continent. The cultural heritage between two countries has further strengthened in the following centuries with the religious and trade activities. The Ambassador De Silva suggested to foster the cultural activities by engaging in exchange of information in the field of culture, music, art, film, and museums, cooperating on exchange of experts & publications and providing assistance to display the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan in Sri Lanka occasionally.
Acting Minister Zuhair whilst thanking the Sri Lankan Ambassador for his sentiments towards afghan citizens agreed favourably for the suggestion of the Ambassador. The Acting Minister enlightened the Ambassador about the Buddhist heritage which is being preserved in Afghanistan and various archeological sites in different locations of Afghanistan. The heritage sites of Afghanistan would certainly be a cultural attraction and inspire the Sri Lankans to visit Afghanistan boosting tourism.
Both the Acting Minister and the Ambassador agreed that the engagement in cultural activities of mutual interest is a necessity to cement the growing bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and to pursue the suggested activities through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to achieve productive results in the future.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Kabul
12 May, 2021
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