Sri Lankan president keen on more economic ties with ‘rising economic giant’ India
India's status as a rising economic giant and Sri Lanka's location as a strategic logistics hub will complement each other in driving them forward, Wickremesinghe said
Sri Lanka wants greater economic cooperation with India and will be happy to play host to more and more southern Indian tourists, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday (April 25).
India's status as a rising economic giant and Sri Lanka's location as a strategic logistics hub will complement each other in driving forward the two economies, he said in Colombo.
New hotel
The president was addressing the opening in Colombo of Indian firm ITC Hotels' first overseas property, ITC Ratnadipa, a luxury hotel in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital.
Wickremesinghe, who has helped Sri Lanka come out of the serious economic crisis it plunged into two years ago, said he was confident the new hotel will boost tourism, particularly from India.
IT sector
“Now these are part of the vision statement which (Indian) Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and I signed last year on how do we integrate our economies and we get closer," he said.
"Information technology is another area that we will be moving fast on, and there are many other projects that India and Sri Lanka will have here," he added.
Economic giant
The president explained how Sri Lanka’s proximity to India was a positive factor.
"India is now one of the rising economic giants and we, Sri Lanka, is in a crucial location for logistics, and next to India."
Indian tourists
Wickremesinghe also highlighted Sri Lanka’s attraction for tourists.
"I have no doubt that for many years Sri Lanka will be the appropriate place to spend a holiday. In time to come it would be easier for a person in Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad to jump into a plane and come here than go to the northern part of India," he said.
Huge investment
ITC's new hotel is one of the biggest investments in Sri Lankan hospitality sector by an Indian firm at around Rs 3,000 crore, he said.
"I hope this will encourage many other hotels, many other companies from other parts of the world to come and invest here," he added.