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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

Engineer Troops &;amp; Gun Salutes Honour Visiting Afghanistan President


A warm welcome with military honours, including a gun salute, greeted the visiting HE the President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan when he arrived at the Presidential Secretariat complex this morning (6), to be received by HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President Karzai who arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday (5) on a formal two-day visit on reaching the Presidential Secretariat this morning (6), was accorded a warm welcome by his host, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A special Guard of Honour presented by the troops of Sri Lanka Engineers and a gun salute, honoured him in conformity with traditions, awarded to a Head of State. School children, cultural troupes and the Army band, added elegance and colour to the occasion as his motorcade moved.

In the company of HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, the visiting Head of State received the salute from a special dais.

A gathering of Ministers, diplomats, state officials and other invitees were present at the brief welcome ceremony. 

After the honours were done, the visiting President Hamid Karzai, together with his Sri Lankan counterpart, entered the President’s Secretariat for formal bilateral talks.