Finland keen to invest in Lanka

Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, Dr. Lakshman Jayaweera and senior officials of the BOI briefed an official delegation from Finland headed by Under Secretary of State, External Economic Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Matti Anttonen and Ambassador of Finland to Sri Lanka, Rauli Suikkanen at the BOI recently.

The Finnish delegation expressed interest in Sri Lanka's Trade and Investment policy and particularly the Free Trade Agreements that Sri Lanka has entered into with India and Pakistan.

BOI officials also briefed the Finnish delegation on the status of the discussions relating to the Free Trade Agreement that is being negotiated with China and other important issues relating to investments.

The BOI team also briefed the visitors on the interest in Sri Lanka by two leading Japanese banks, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi and Mizho Bank with which the BOI has entered into Memoranda of Understanding. The banks promotes Sri Lanka among their clients.

The Finnish delegation said that they would help find matching partners in Finland for Sri Lankan companies focusing on the tourist sector. Sri Lanka will participate in Finland's biggest tourism fair. Finland has a diversified economy but most production is now relocated overseas.

Finland's strength lies in its quality of design which enjoys worldwide reputation.

Finland's population and hence its workforce, is aging, which means that Finnish companies now focus mainly on developing high technology thanks to their advances in the research and development sectors.