The 05^th round of the Sub-Committee Meeting between Sri Lanka and Thailand was successfully concluded on 12^th October 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The engagement under the Sub Committee on Trade Related matters provided an excellent opportunity for both sides to exchange views on strengthening trade, investment and economic cooperation and to review the Joint Action Plan which covers mutually agreed 10 sectors namely, investment, infrastructure, Agro industry, fisheries, gems & jewellery, tourism, SME, financial cooperation, packaging industry and ICT.

The meeting was Co-Chaired by Dr. Lakmini Mendis, Actg. Director General of Commerce from the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Trade Commerce and Food Security of Sri Lanka and Mrs. Auramon Supthaweethum, Director General and the Chief Negotiator of the Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Trade of Thailand.

This dialogue covered market access opportunities, issues and discussions on facilitating businesses. At the Sub-Committee level the two sides agreed to organize a trade delegation in November, facilitate trade fair participation, and hold an investment seminar in Thailand to disseminate FDI opportunities in infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism sectors among others. Delegates engaged in exploring potential export areas such as promotion of Ceylon Tea, gem and jewellery, fisheries, SME value added products, crafts and handlooms, etc. Both sides acknowledged the scope for assessing new proposals on sharing knowledge and know-how in agriculture, fisheries, packaging, jewellery designing, developing laboratories, and empowering SMEs specifically for technical cooperation and study visits. Programmes for collaboration in areas such as Buddhist & cultural Tourism, digital technology and Cyber security were discussed with the expectation of deepening strong bilateral ties.

The Sri Lankan delegation included officials from the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Plantation Industries, Ministry of Fisheries, Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Department of Trade & Investment Policies (DTIP), Department of External Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Road Development Authority
(RDA), Urban Development Authority (UDA), National Gem & Jewelry Authority (NGJA), Board of Investment (BOI), Export Development Board (EDB), Sri Lanka Tea Board, National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), Coconut Research Institute (CRI), Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Management (SLITHM), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), National Institute of Post-Harvest Management (NIPHM), Gem & Jewellery Research and Training Institute, Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), National Craft Council, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Associations representing fruit and vegetable exporters and spices & allied products.

Department of Commerce                                                                                                   

13.10.2023

Networking session hosted by the Consulate General of Dubai and Northern Emirates in collaboration with the embassy of Sri Lanka, UAE, Department of Commerce, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan IT Professionals Association, UAE and Trainocate Gulf.