Major boost for Malta -Sri Lanka business ties 

Malta-Sri Lanka business ties will enjoy a major boost in the coming months, was the message of a delegation of business persons who participated in a tour of Sri Lanka from 3 to 8 May. The tour commenced with “Malta: Your Gateway to Europe” event at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo in association with the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka.

A video message from Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat recorded for guests attending the event was played. Muscat was one of the few leaders to openly support Sri Lanka’s bid to regain GSP plus concessions from the European Union. His multi-tier financial firm ARQ sent two top representatives to Colombo, to discuss opportunities for Sri Lankan businesses to access the European market through Malta and strategies to develop overall economic resilience in Sri Lanka. 

Guests of honour were Russell Arnold, former Sri Lanka cricketer and director of Sri Lanka Premier League and Rajendra Theagarajah Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, who addressed the gathering, encouraging organisers to deepen business ties between the two countries. 

Speakers at the event included ARQ Malta’s senior partner David Borg and Jean Paul Fabri, Managing Director of ARQ, who was a Commonwealth expert on building resiliency in island states.

“We believe that resilience-building has the potential of ushering a new era of growth in Sri Lanka. Our experience from other small states, primarily Malta, demonstrates that a policy effort towards building resilience can leave long-lasting effects on an economy and society,” Borg and Fabri said in joint statement.

 The visit and event was organised by Blue Stone Management Ltd. and BBK Partnership Ltd. accounting BPO, which has quickly grown to employ 100 staff throughout our headquarters in Colombo, with offices in Jaffna and Vavuniya. 

The delegation called on Karu Jayasuriya Speaker of the House at his official residence. The Speaker thanked the delegation for their continued faith in Sri Lanka.

Later, a meeting was held with R. Sampanthan Leader of Opposition. Sampanthan personally congratulated Paventhan Savunthararasa and Arnold Anandan, respective founders of Blue Stone Management and BBK Partnership who recently opened a state-of-the-art office Vavuniya. The office is the first of its kind in the region.

Savunthararasa and Arnold Anandan migrated from Sri Lanka during the 1980s to France and the UK during the conflict. Both gentlemen have decided to return to Sri Lanka, their country of birth and use their knowledge, experience and contacts to expand the opportunities provided to Sri Lankans and deepen access to markets in Europe.