Czech delegation to visit Sri Lanka

During the month of October, Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kocourek will lead a Czech delegation to Asia. It is heartening and most encouraging that in the busy schedule of the delegation, Sri Lanka has been earmarked for a visit on 13 October.

On the official invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka Prof. G.L. Peiris visited the Czech Republic earlier this year. During the visit, the official signing of the Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment between Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic took place.  

Kocourek will lead a delegation of Czech business leaders, parliamentarians and 20 top corporates from several sectors, including infrastructure, energy, environment and heavy machinery. A high-profile briefing meeting will be held on 13 October, followed by one-to-one meetings for prospective Sri Lanka organisations and the Czech business delegation.

The visit to Sri Lanka is one amongst three official visits of the Czech delegation, which is scheduled to stop over in Sri Lanka en route from India and Vietnam.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched a national campaign to support the participation of Czech companies in international events. For 2012 alone, the projected value of the support is budgeted at CZK 210 Mio. This would give opportunity to over 400 Czech companies to be internationalised. The increase in the local budget for international participation is maximised with the combination of European and national sources of funding.

The visit is an opportunity for Sri Lankan organisations looking at increasing their local portfolio or reaching out into the international arena to meet and network, while learning more about what the Czech Republic has to offer Sri Lanka. It will also fortify relations with another supportive trading partner.

For further information on the upcoming Czech briefing meeting and the B2B meetings, contact Roshni Wijayasinghe, Liaison Officer on 2375486-7 or 2375489.