DHAKA: Sri Lankan high commissioner to Bangladesh Yasoja Gunasekera invited Bangladesh’s top business companies for investment in her country aiming to expand bilateral economic ties for mutual benefit.

The Lankan envoy was addressing diplomatic correspondents at DCAB Talk at Sagar-Runi auditorium at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in city on Thursday.

‘Sri Lanka would like to invite top Bangladesh companies to invest in the country as the Lankan companies have already invested more than USD 300 million in Bangladesh,’ Gunasekera said.

‘We will have a particular interest to work in partnership with friends like Bangladesh in Asia and our immediate neighbors along the Bay of Bengal to mutually beneficial economic cooperation,’ she further added.

The Sri Lankan envoy said, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, having close partnership with India and China, can explore huge trade potential in the region for mutual benefit going beyond ‘traditional economic thinking’.

The envoy also said two countries have identified several areas of focused cooperation, including trade, investment, tourism, agriculture, education, culture, defense, health, air, sea connectivity and human resources development.

“Both of our leaderships have identified opportunities and challenges.”

Gunasekera said Sri Lanka is a partner in Bangladesh’s development in strategic sectors of economy such as banking, power and RMG.

“I’ll work towards achieving expansion of our bilateral economic ties for mutual benefit.”

She said a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries is being discussed. Relevant authorities of both the countries are currently in the process of studying the feasibility of such a framework that would be mutually beneficial’.

The diplomat said the two countries are also looking at the potential for maritime connectivity including linkage between ports in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Terming Sri Lanka’s relations with Bangladesh as a family, the diplomat said the relationship between the two south Asian countries can be characterized as robust and warm, based on mutual respect and sincere friendship.

Responding to another question on Nepal’s adoption of new Constitution, she said that was very important development and Sri Lanka has welcomed this.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) general secretary Bashir Ahmed addressed the program with DCAB president Masud Karim in the chair.

BDST: 1904 HRS, NOV 12, 2015
RS/RR/SMS