A Sri Lankan business delegation is due to visit Tajikistan to explore and promote business opportunities for both countries.
The two countries have identified several areas for potential tie ups. Some of the key Sri Lankan products that can be exported to Tajikistan include apparel, rubber-based products, gems and jewellery, porcelain and tableware, and ayurveda products, Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva told a Sri Lanka-Tajikistan investment forum in Colombo last week.
Tajikistan wants Sri Lankan investors to explore investment opportunities in hydro-power generation and apparel sectors in that country. There are also investment opportunities in Tajikistan’s free trade zone.
The investment forum in Colombo was organised during the visit of a business delegation led by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahman last week. Tajikistan is known as the gateway to Central Asia.
“Therefore, there is a potential for Sri Lankans to enter the markets in Tajikistan,” Dr. de Silva said.
The business delegation to visit Tajikistan next year will be led by Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade, Malik Samarawickrema.
Sri Lanka’s trade with Tajikistan is small; but it also shows the huge trade potential that exists for mutual benefit. “It is time that both economies commence viable trade relations at the earliest. Discussions need to be regular and a mechanism should be built to develop strong and long-standing economic ties between the two countries,” Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen said.
The representatives showed keen interest in building new business relations, supported by the respective governments. The Sri Lanka and Tajikistan governments are promoting private-public partnerships (PPPs) in development ventures.
The Public-Private Partnership model is a key mechanism slated to drive future Sri Lanka-Tajikistan economic relations, Bathiudeen said.
When Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met in Jakarta, Indonesia in August, they exchanged views on cooperation in construction of small and medium hydro-electric power plants, joint processing of mineral resources and strengthening of multilateral scientific and cultural ties.