According to a press release issued by Nepal-Sri Lanka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (NSCCI), A team led by Bhakta Bahadur Malla, president of NSCCI met D.V. Abeywickrama, Charge D´ Affairs and Dison J Perera, Economic counselor from the embassy on Tuesday.[break]
“Two sides agreed to improve the mechanism of information sharing between the two countries,” said the release. “Abeywickrama said that he would work on developing the bridge between business communities from the two countries in every possible way.”
Similarly, Abeywickrama also said that the embassy was interested to connect the two countries through direct flights. “In order to increase the movement of people between the two countries, we have to connect the two countries through a direct flight,” the release quoted Abeywickrama as saying. In the meeting business leaders even requested officials from embassy to encourage Sri Lankan investors to come in Nepal.
Nepal and Sri Lanka being in the same South Asia region, share a minimal level of bilateral trade. According to statistics compiled at Trade and Export promotion Centre (TEPC), Nepal and Sri Lanka had Rs 90 million worth of trade in which Nepal has around Rs 58 million trade defict with Sri Lanka in 2011.
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