Slovakia keen to expand its trade and investment in Sri Lanka

The Central European country Slovakia has expressed interest in expanding trade and investment in Sri Lanka as the island nation is expected to become a commercial hub in the Indian Ocean region.

Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Kazimir accompanied by a 22-member business delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday on a two day visit that will conclude on 29 March 2018. This is the first high level visit to Sri Lanka by a Slovak senior government official.

The Slovak Republic is keen to expand its trade and investment portfolio in Sri Lanka, given the emerging opportunities as Sri Lanka develops into a commercial, financial and logistical hub in the Indian Ocean region, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

Kazimir and the Slovak business delegation representing construction, electronics, energy, mining, ICT and security, hydrometeorology, defense and banking yesterday met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana, Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and State Minister for Finance and Mass Media Eran Wickramaratne. Senior officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Industry and Commerce were present at the respective discussions.

He is also scheduled to meet the State Minister for Defense Ruwan Wijewardene and the Governor of the Central Bank Indrajit Coomaraswamy prior to his departure today. The Slovak Business delegation attended a Business Forum organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the JAIC Hilton, Colombo. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency was signed during this event.