Monday May 18, 2026
Monday May 18, 2026
Monday, 18 May 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Laying a firm foundation for strengthening Sri Lanka’s economic, trade, and investment relations with Brazil, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne recently had fruitful discussions at the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) headquarters in Brasilia, with Executive Director Maria Paula Sobral Velloso and General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and Head of India Office in New Delhi Angelo Mauricio.
Ambassador Colonne was warmly welcomed by the ApexBrasil officials and provided an overview of ApexBrasil’s role and ongoing initiatives in promoting Brazil’s foreign trade and attracting investment. They also highlighted the agency’s strategic priorities and its efforts to strengthen international partnerships.
Ambassador Colonne emphasised Sri Lanka’s strong interest in advancing South-South cooperation and highlighted recent bilateral engagements, including the meeting between Brazilian President Lula da Silva and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka, in New Delhi, and the successful conclusion of the second Sri Lanka-Brazil political consultations at the Foreign Secretary level in Colombo.
Presentations were made on the ‘Sri Lanka Expo’ to be held from 14-17 January 2027, and the Colombo Port City project. The invitation extended by Ambassador Colonne to ApexBrasil to lead a high-profile business delegation for ‘Sri Lanka Expo’ was warmly accepted, with a view to fostering greater business engagement, exploring new market opportunities, creating joint ventures/partnerships, particularly in complementary industries, and exchanging technical expertise in high-performing sectors.
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and ranks among the global top 10 economies. ApexBrasil was established in 2003, during the first term of President da Silva, to expand Brazil’s presence in the global economy by promoting exports, the internationalisation of companies, attracting foreign investment, and making partnerships with the public and private sectors of a wide variety of countries, working with small, medium, and large businesses across 53 product sectors with seven branches in Brazil and 15 branches abroad.
Both sides also agreed to the early finalisation of the Protocol of Intentions on Cooperation for Promotion of Foreign Trade and Investment Attraction between Sri Lanka and Brazil, organising joint promotional activities to increase the awareness of each other’s export potential and investment opportunities, and to work closely for mutual benefit.
ApexBrasil Institutional and Government Relations Division Specialist George Maha and Sri Lanka Embassy in Brazil Minister Counsellor – Commercial Chathurika Perera also joined the meeting.
