SL delegation arrives in Thailand for fourth Bangkok talks

A top official delegation left Sri Lanka this week to attend the latest Bangkok Agreement talks in Thailand.

The five-member delegation is led by Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen and will attend the fourth session of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement Ministerial Talks in Bangkok, his Ministry said in a statement. 

 “It is time Sri Lanka starts benefiting from one of Asia’s pioneering trade agreements,” said Minister Bathiudeen prior to his departure to Bangkok.

The fourth session of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), also known as the Bangkok Agreement, is scheduled to be held on 12 and 13 January, preceded by the 50th session of the APTA Standing Committee sessions of 11 and 12 January. The Sri Lankan delegation includes Director General of Commerce Sonali Wijeratne other commerce officials and representatives from the Department of Customs.

 At the 13 January Bangkok APTA session, Ministers are also expected to welcome a new member country, Mongolia, to the grouping. The current members are Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, South Korea and Sri Lanka. A ministerial declaration is expected to be adopted by the Ministers while they will also decide the date and venue of the 5th session of the APTA Ministerial Council.

Furthermore, during the inaugural session there will be the web launch of the APTA tariff concessions (MoPs), non-tariff measures (NTMs) and Rules of Origin (RoO) database by the Ministers. 

The Ministers are also invited to direct the future development of APTA concerning the launch of the new round of negotiations and the establishment of the APTA Chamber of Commerce and Industry network.

 In a reported background of uncertainty over the proposed Trans Pacific Agreement (TPP), APTA is gaining increased importance. Bangkok’s 2017 APTA sessions are organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). APTA was formed in 1975.