Opportunity Sri Lanka | » Sri Lanka and Bangkok strengthen bilateral ties
Sri Lanka and Bangkok strengthen bilateral ties

Sri Lanka and Bangkok strengthen bilateral ties

The Morning: Ambassador of Sri Lanka and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP Wijayanthi Edirisinghe recently met with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to discuss areas of collaboration between Sri Lanka and Bangkok.
Ambassador Edirisinghe underscored the profound Buddhist and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and Thailand, drawing attention to key symbols of Sri Lanka’s heritage, such as the Kandy Esala Perahera and the Ramayana Trail.
She highlighted how such cultural icons not only reflect Sri Lanka’s cultural richness but also echo deeply with Thailand’s own historical and spiritual traditions.
A key topic of discussion was the potential adoption of Traffy Fondue, a highly successful digital tool developed in Thailand to address urban challenges.
The Ambassador proposed leveraging this innovative system to align with Sri Lanka’s Clean Sri Lanka initiative, which aims to enhance urban sustainability and environmental management.
She expressed Sri Lanka’s keen interest in knowledge sharing, exploring and implementing similar solutions.
Another highlight of the meeting was the proposal to declare Colombo and Bangkok as sister cities, a partnership aimed at fostering collaboration in health, education, environment, tourism, and cultural exchange.
Ambassador Edirisinghe underlined the opportunities such a partnership could facilitate in enhancing ties across multiple sectors.
The Governor of Bangkok welcomed the idea and expressed interest in cultural exchanges, particularly a showcase of Buddhist relics in Sri Lanka, which he described as an avenue to deepen mutual understanding and appreciation of Buddhist heritage.
In addition, the Ambassador discussed the upcoming 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand in 2025, proposing a joint celebration of Vesak, a sacred event for Buddhists in both countries.
The Governor expressed enthusiasm for the idea and pledged Bangkok’s support for the initiative.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to strengthen cooperation and further explore avenues for knowledge sharing, cultural promotion, and sustainable development.

OSL take:
Sri Lanka and Thailand have signed a free trade agreement (FTA) that would help further strengthen trade ties between the two countries. The latest proposal being looked at to join Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and Thailand’s Bangkok as sister cities would further boost trade and investment ties. With Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic activities and overall economic expansion, the country’s expanding business/investment opportunities present lucrative business ventures for Thai businesses to explore while Sri Lankan businesses could also look at forming collaborations with Thai businesses. Given Sri Lanka’s growing business potential supported by the country’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, strong trade ties and target of becoming a regional hub, businesses/investors in Thailand could confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. Other foreign businesses interested in doing business in the region, especially with Thailand could also look at setting up bases in Sri Lanka to engage with these countries using Sri Lanka’s strong ties with those countries.

Share this:

Article Code : VBS/AT/20241212/Z_6

    For More Info and Help






    Leave a Comment