Sri Lanka Discusses CEPA with Business Chambers. Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India to be Finalised by Year End

25th July 2010, www.island.lk

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has instructed the Department of Commerce to hold discussions on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India with all business chambers before the deal is finalised later this year.

Industry and Commerce minister Rishad Bathiudeen has instructed the Director General of the Department of Commerce to begin discussions on the much-debated CEPA with India with all chambers of commerce and industries in the country so that views of the business community and industrialists could be taken into account before the government finalises the agreement.

Bathiudeen reiterated this point when he met a delegation from the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) early last week at the ministry.

He stressed that any partnership agreement related to trade should be beneficial to Sri Lanka and it should be the objective of the deliberations with the chambers.

President FCCISL Kosala Wickramanayake invited the minister as Guest of Honour at the Machinery Exhibition to be held from August 27 onwards targeting the needs of the small industries of Sri Lanka.

On behalf of the government, the minister requested the FCCISL members to support the development livelihoods of the resettle IDP’s through SME Industries with the coordination of the regional chambers that are linked to the FCCISL. The FCCISL is a federation of chambers with sixty regional chambers with around 12,500 members country-wide.