Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama says that the ETCA agreement with India can increase Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in industrial exports and also increase its supply capacity to better utilize the market access to India.
“The fifth round of negotiations with India on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement was conducted in Colombo just two weeks ago,” he said, addressing the SAARC Investment Forum in Colombo today (6).
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking during the event, said that Sri Lanka’s aim is to become the hub of the Indian Ocean.
“For us South Asia is important, the Bay of Bengal is important but we also feel our future like our past is in the Indian Ocean and being the hub of the Indian Ocean.”
He stated that in this year the Ministry of Development Strategy, the Ministry of Finance and his ministry are examining the barriers to business and how to make one leap forward in the ease to doing business.
“We have plans now to develop the Colombo Port further, the development of Hambantota and the development of the Trincomalee Ports,” he said.
He stated that of the three ports two are well known while the other has got a lot of publicity in the last two-three years. “Without spending money they have already obtained the publicity that they require.”
He also said that they hope to make Mattala International Airport operational also by the end of the year or early next year.
