Sri Lanka’s EDB and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry meet
The Morning: A business meeting between the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) delegation and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) was held on 6 May at the EDB premises in Colombo.
The meeting was headed by Sri Lanka Export Development Board Chairperson and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe, and attended by KCCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Raza, members of the KCCI delegation, Tilan M. Wijesooriya, Secretary General (Acting) of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL), and Associate Director of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with senior officials of the EDB.
Welcoming the delegation, the EDB Chairperson highlighted the strong historical friendship and growing economic partnership between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He also emphasised the importance of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement signed in 2005, which marked Pakistan’s first-ever bilateral Free Trade Agreement and continues to play a significant role in promoting trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Both sides discussed the untapped potential for expanding bilateral trade through enhanced private sector collaboration, improved trade facilitation, greater utilisation of the Free Trade Agreement framework, and stronger business-to-business engagement.
The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides expressing confidence in further strengthening bilateral trade relations and long-term economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s deepening economic engagement with Pakistan reflects a broader effort to expand its regional trade footprint and attract greater foreign private sector participation as part of its recovery and growth strategy. The recent business dialogue between the KCCI delegation and the Sri Lanka EDB highlighted significant untapped potential in bilateral trade. Both sides emphasised opportunities to strengthen cooperation through improved trade facilitation, better use of existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) frameworks, and more direct business-to-business engagement. For Pakistani as well as other foreign businesses/investors and exporters, this renewed momentum signals expanding opportunities in key sectors such as textiles, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, seafood, and light manufacturing. Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean, combined with its access to regional trade agreements, positions it as a useful gateway for Pakistani firms looking to expand into South and Southeast Asian markets and vice versa. At the same time, greater private sector collaboration can support joint ventures, supply chain integration, and value-added production activities within Sri Lanka. This is particularly relevant as the country seeks to boost export competitiveness and diversify its industrial base beyond traditional sectors. Therefore, strengthening ties with regional economies like Pakistan reinforces Sri Lanka’s ambition to become a trade and investment hub in South Asia. Such partnerships are likely to play a key role in attracting long-term foreign investment and deepening the country’s integration into regional value chains.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260513/Z_4 |