Israel wants to do more business with Sri Lanka, envoy tells CCC

The New Delhi-based Israeli envoy for Sri Lanka and India Daniel Carmon says Sri Lanka and Israel need to focus on further enhancing its existing trade and commercial ties.

During a meeting, he had with Ceylon Chamber of Commerce CEO/Secretary General Mangala P.B. Yapa, the envoy said, “There are lot of activities going on between the two countries, but I feel it is not enough.”

He said, Israel, even though a small country is an influential economy in the world, particularly with the sophisticated technology, which it has developed covering several sectors such as IT, agriculture and defence, etc.

 Lilakshini De Mel, Senior Assistant Secretary General of the Chamber and Assaf Moran, Political Affairs of the Israel Embassy in New Delhi and Anojan Selvanathan, Head of Trade and Investment Promotion of the Israel Business Development Office in Sri Lanka also joined the brief discussion.

This meeting took place, just a week after a Sri Lankan agri business delegation arrived in the country, concluding a successful business mission to Israel. The mission was organised by the Israel Business Development Office of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

The trade volume between Sri Lanka and Israel stood at $ 198 million during the year 2014, with the trade balance standing in favour of Sri Lanka at $ 59 million.