WTO bolsters support for Sri Lanka
In a fresh boost to Sri Lanka’s international trade push, the global
trade body World Trade Organisation (WTO) is stepping up its support to
the country. “We thank WTO for its latest initiatives on Sri Lanka. As a
founder member of the WTO, we too are well committed to the WTO policy
framework,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen
last week. Minister Bathiudeen said this upon learning WTO’s latest
offer from the newly appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador and Permanent
Representative to the WTO in Geneva, Nimal Karunatilake.
“WTO is willing to give more trade capacity and technical assistance
to trade related institutions in Sri Lanka,” Director General of the
WTO, Pascal Lamy told Ambassador Karunatilake when he presented his
credentials to the Director General at WTO headquarters in Geneva on
February 13.
Ambassador Karunatilake is the sixth Lankan Ambassador to present
credentials to the world trade facilitation body with a global
membership accounting for 97 percent of global trade.“WTO is willing to
give more trade related capacity and technical assistance to Sri Lanka,”
said Lamy.
“WTO appreciates Sri Lanka’s long-term commitment. In fact Sri Lanka
was a founder member of the WTO,a fact we respect highly” he said.Lamy
who thereafter briefed Ambassador Karunatilake
on the current state of play in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations,
which is commonly known as the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), with
special emphasis on areas where the WTO Members have been able to
achieve progress in consensus building.
Ambassador Karunatilake said, “Sri Lanka, being a founder member of
both the GATT and the WTO, remained committed to the rule-based,
multilateral trading system in promoting global trade.
Sri Lanka was the first South Asian state to introduce
market-friendly economic reforms and the unilateral trade liberalisation
measures introduced as far back as 1970s had made Sri Lanka one of the
most business-friendly nations in the region.
We hope that any eventual outcome of the DDA would effectively
address the specific issues and challenges faced by small and vulnerable
economies such as Sri Lanka” and added “An early conclusion of the DDA
would particularly be beneficial to the Sri Lankan economy, which was
going through a crucial phase of transition.”Stressing Sri Lanka’s
appreciation for the WTOs support, Ambassador Karunathilleke said, “Sri
Lanka was deeply appreciative of the valuable cooperation the WTO
continued to extend toward trade-related capacity building in Sri Lanka
through various training programs, awareness creation seminars. Sri
Lanka is looking forward to a successful outcome of the DDA that would
benefit all stakeholders.”
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