Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to visit Sri Lanka for signing of FTA

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is set to embark on a two-day official tour to Sri Lanka from February 3 to 4, 2024, following an invitation from Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Thavisin is slated to be the Guest of Honour at the 76th Anniversary celebration of Sri Lanka’s Independence.

The visit agenda includes key discussions with President Wickremesinghe and the witnessing of the landmark signing of the Sri Lanka – Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLTFTA), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The signing of the Free Trade Agreement, involving Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, and Nalin Fernando, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, is anticipated to enhance trade and investment relations and facilitate closer integration with ASEAN economies, the ministry noted.

Further, the visit will likely see the renewal of the Air Services Agreement and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Sri Lanka’s Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute and Thailand’s Gem and Jewelry Institute.

A business forum, co-organized by Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion and Department of Trade Negotiations, and Sri Lanka’s Department of Commerce and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled at the Kingsbury Hotel.

Accompanying Prime Minister Thavisin is a 39-member delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakkapong Sangmanee, and a high-level business team, as per the Ministry’s information.