The government has made a strong appeal to the World Economic Summit (WES) Chairman to hold next year’s summit in Sri Lanka, Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando said.
Minister Fernando said that holding of the WES 2018 will coincide with Sri Lanka’s 70th Independence Day celebration and will bring the country more international recognition.
The World Economic Summit 2017 was held in Davos City Switzerland from January 17 to 21.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe attended the World Economic Summit on invitation and he attended it last year too, and the international ties he forged at the summit have been beneficial to Sri Lanka’s future economic development program.
“The Chairman of the World Economic Summit has already pronounced an unofficial agreement to hold the 2018 summit in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s presentation on South Asia as a new economic leader helped convince the World Economic Summit Chairman to consider holding its next forum in Sri Lanka. A team will be arriving in Sri Lanka in March, to discuss the procedure,” the minister said. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also met the Executive Director of the United Nations’ World Food Program, Ertharin Cousin to discuss the drought condition that the country is expected to face within the next three months. “The UNFPA Executive Director is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on February 10 to discuss future WFP assistance,” Minister Fernando said. “Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also held discussions with political leaders and Heads of many business leaders during his recent visit to Switzerland,” he said.
“The Prime Minister also had discussions with the Presidents of China and Switzerland, high ranking Government Ministers from New Zealand and Japan, representatives of Microsoft, Dr.Petra Louis of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Vietnamese officials on a free trade agreement, Chinese business tycoon Jack Ma and India’s Minister of Transportation,” Fernando said.