COLOMBO: Punjab Hariyana Delhi (PHD) Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India organized a virtual India-Sri Lanka B2B meeting on 21 July 2020 in association with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL), and the Colombo Chamber of Commerce.
In his remarks at the inaugural session, the Head of Economic and Commercial Wing of the High Commission of India in Colombo, Dr. Rakesh Pandey noted that such online interaction will enable Indian and Sri Lankan companies to understand each other’s requirements in a better manner and work towards finalizing mutually-beneficial arrangements. He highlighted the need for working together to address the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and for enhancing the economic well-being of our countries.
The inaugural session had about 175 participants including Mr. Pradeep Multani (Vice-President of PHDCCI), Ms. Upekkha Samaratunga [Minister (Commercial) from the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India], Ajith D. Perera (Secretary General of FCCISL), and Saranga Wijeyarathne (Honorary President of the Colombo Chamber of Commerce). The B2B component of the event witnessed participation by more than 50 industry representatives from India and Sri Lanka involved in diverse sectors such as agriculture and food processing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, textiles, home appliances, banking and finance, and packaging.
During the recent Covid-19 period, the High Commission of India has been an active participant in various online events held by the business and industry organizations on both sides to promote and expand bilateral economic interaction. Some such events include – Video Conference (VC) organised by PHDCCI on the prospects of business promotion in the South Asian region (01May 2020), VC organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on opportunities for Indian companies in Sri Lanka in the post pandemic economic situation (05 May 2020), online interaction between the High Commission of India and the Board members of Indian CEO Forum in Sri Lanka (12 May 2020), Webinar organised by ASSOCHAM and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to discuss post pandemic economic recovery (16 May 2020), and an online interactive session organized by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) to discuss trade and investment opportunities between India and Sri Lanka (22 May 2020).
It may be recalled that High Commissioner of India, HE Gopal Baglay, addressed the Annual General Meeting of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on 25 June 2020 where he referred to the leadership-level commitment for a partnership with Sri Lanka for progress, peace and security, which extends to responding effectively to current and impending COVID-related economic challenges. On 21 July 2020, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay spoke at an online event on deepening economic collaboration between India and Sri Lanka, organized by FICCI in association with the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies where he underlined the need to further expand the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka to effectively and expeditiously address the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
