SL, Thailand conclude 5th round of bilateral talks; commit to boost economic ties

The fifth round of talks aimed at further expanding the existing trade and investment relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand and mitigating the problems facing the bilateral trade between the two countries was held by officials of the Department of Commerce and Thailand officials at the Galle Face Hotel last week.

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 and jewellery, tourism, SME, financial cooperation, packaging industry, and ICT.

This dialogue covered market access opportunities, issues, and discussions on facilitating businesses. At the Sub-Committee level, the two sides agreed to organise 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.

Delegates engaged in exploring potential export areas such as the promotion of Ceylon Tea, gems and jewellery, fisheries, SME value-added products, crafts, 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. Programs for collaboration in areas such as Buddhist and cultural tourism, digital technology, and cyber security were discussed with the expectation of deepening strong bilateral ties.

Ministry of Trade of Thailand Department of Trade Negotiations Chief Negotiator Auramon Supthaweethum and 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 and Investment Policies (DTIP), Department of External Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Road Development Authority (RDA), Urban Development Authority (UDA), National Gem and Jewellery 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 and Management  (SLITHM), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), National Institute of Post-Harvest Management (NIPHM), Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute, Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Sri Lankan Government and Private Banks, Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), National Craft Council, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Associations representing fruit and vegetable exporters and spices and allied products, participated.