Jan 03, Colombo: Visiting President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has assured his government's full support to Sri Lanka to eradicate terrorism from the country.

President Nasheed expressed his support to Sri Lanka when he met his Sri Lankan counterpart President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.

During the bilateral talks held yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat the two Presidents discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral and regional interest and agreed to cooperate particularly in the fields of tourism, culture, fisheries, health, education, trade and investment. The Maldivian President expressed gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka for its consistent support for good governance and encouraging democracy in the Maldives. The two leaders discussed issues related to regional cooperation and reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening SAARC as the principal mechanism for regional cooperation in South Asia. Maldivian leader also held discussions yesterday with the Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, and Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa hosted a State Banquet yesterday night at the President’s House in honour of the visiting President and the First Lady of the Maldives.

Pictures by Sudath Silva