COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has described Pakistan "as a true friend" after Islamabad congratulated Colombo following the decimation of the Tamil Tigers.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein A. Bhaila made the observation after receiving a message from Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan Wednesday.
"The government and the people of Sri Lanka have considered Pakistan as a true friend of Sri Lanka, which has always stood by it in times of need," the defence ministry quoted Bhaila as saying.
The minister said he "deeply appreciated his Pakistan colleague's spontaneous gesture to telephone and convey the congratulations of the Pakistan government on the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka".
Khan said Pakistan "has always been a steadfast friend of Sri Lanka and strongly supported the country's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity". On Monday, the military killed Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and all senior colleagues, effectively destroying the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).