Sri Lanka-Bangladesh FTA?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra has expressed Sri Lanka’s interest in strengthening relations with Bangladesh’s private sector.

“Strengthening relations between the private sectors of both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would enhance bilateral trade and investment,” he said while meeting with the visiting business delegation of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in Colombo, said a press release.

The DCCI team led by its president Taskeen Ahmed today paid courtesy calls on Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Harshana Suriyaperuma, at their respective ministries.

Regarding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh, Arun Hemachandra mentioned that Sri Lanka has already signed FTAs with Thailand and Singapore, and is currently analysing the potential benefits and risks of an FTA with Bangladesh.

He invited Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in Sri Lanka’s promising sectors and assured full support from the Sri Lankan side.

Taskeen Ahmed stated that due to ongoing geopolitical shifts, global trade dynamics are changing, new opportunities are opening up across South and Southeast Asia.

He noted that while Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments, Sri Lanka is significantly ahead in areas such as technology, value addition of goods, and innovation.

Taskeen Ahmed highlighted that there is ample potential for bilateral trade and joint initiatives between the private sectors of both countries to expand.

The DCCI president also emphasized that signing a FTA would further strengthen trade ties and people-to-people connectivity between both countries.

He expressed that Bangladeshi firms are keen on joint collaboration with Sri Lankan business partners and hoped that Sri Lankan entrepreneurs would also consider investing in potential sectors of Bangladesh.

Former DCCI president Rizwan Rahman mentioned that the economies of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are quite similar in structure.

Therefore, a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) may not be so effective, and a full-fledged FTA would better accelerate bilateral trade and investment of the two countries, he added.

In a separate meeting Dr Harshana Suriyaperuma said both countries have ample opportunities for joint collaboration, particularly in information technology and digital services, pharmaceuticals, tea, energy, financial services, and tourism.

He mentioned that Sri Lanka has already formulated an ambitious digital roadmap aimed at transforming the country into a fully digital state within the next two years, with all services automated.

The Deputy Minister added that the government is encouraging foreign investment in the establishment of state-of-the-art data centers, an area where Bangladeshi investors could be part of it.

He also invited Bangladeshi investors to explore opportunities in Sri Lanka’s pharmaceutical sector to help meet the local demand.