/PNA
MANILA — Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday evening, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
Sirisena is scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at around 10:50 p.m. onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ 918.
The Sri Lankan leader will be in the country for a state visit from Jan. 15 to 19. He is expected to have a bilateral meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.
Among the two leaders’ focus will be agriculture, economy and people to people engagement.
Sirisena is also expected to visit the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna during his five-day state visit.
Meanwhile, Malacañang regards Sirisena’s visit to the Philippines as having “historic significance”.
This is the second visit of a Sri Lankan leader to the country, after former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s visit in 1976. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1961.
