Sri Lanka woos European investors
The Government has begun a campaign to attract investors from Europe
to boost its economic development, with the dawn of peace in the island.
Speaking at a seminar on “Business opportunities in Sri Lanka” held
in Brussels recently, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Belgium and the EU,
Ravinatha Aryasinha, called on EU countries to encourage investments in
the country.
Addressing the audience of European businessmen, bankers and
entrepreneurs, he said that “The LTTE terrorism was a main impediment
for Sri Lanka developing its full potential, particularly in the
country’s northern and eastern regions which were most affected by the
26 years of fighting.
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Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Ravinatha
Aryasinha and Executive Director, BOI Shivan De Silva with
the foreign delegates |
We are now shifting gears. It is time to move on,” said Aryasinha
noting that the seminar was the first of a series of events which the
Sri Lankan embassy is organising to promote economic and trade ties and
cooperation with Europe.
The one-day event was organised by the Brussels Enterprises Commerce
and Industry (BECI) in cooperation with the Board of Investment (BOI) of
Sri Lanka and the embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels.
Executive Director, BOI Shivan De Silva, presented the investment
opportunities in Sri Lanka. The BOI mission to Brussels was co-ordinated
by Director (Promotion) of the BOI Nilupul De Silva.
De Silva said that the end of the civil war will boost confidence and
lead to a rush to invest in Sri Lanka and stressed that the country
remains the “most attractive” investment destinations in the region.
De Silva said that Sri Lanka is the only Asian country to have signed
free trade agreements with both India and Pakistan.
Investments in Sri Lanka by companies of the three Benelux countries,
Belgium, Luxemborg and the Netherlands, totalled 472 million US dollars. |
