President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Mohammad Sharif Anis.

Ambassador Mohammad Sharif Anis reviewed a guard of honor.

Mohammad Sharif Anis presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev then spoke with the ambassador.

Saying that Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka enjoy very good political relations, the head of state hailed the fact that the two countries support each other within international organizations.

Noting the importance of developing economic cooperation, the head of state said that there is good potential for this. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his confidence that during his tenure ambassador Mohammad Sharif Anis will hold fruitful meetings with the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan and organize reciprocal visits for defining the tasks concerning the strengthening of the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka.

Ambassador Mohammad Sharif Anis greeted President Ilham Aliyev on behalf of President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena and the country`s Prime Minister. Touching upon the significance of developing bilateral relations in a variety of fields, the ambassador mentioned that he will spare no efforts to contribute to the expansion of the relations in the fields of trade and industry.

Describing Azerbaijan as one of the most beautiful tourism destinations in the region, the ambassador said there are great opportunities for cooperation between Sri Lanka and Azerbaijan in this area. The ambassador also stressed the necessity of exploring opportunities for mutual investment.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his hope that Mohammad Sharif Anis will contribute to the development of the friendly relations between the two countries.

The head of state thanked for the greetings of Maithripala Sirisena and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, and asked the ambassador to extend his greetings to the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.