Sri Lanka-France ties strengthen with € 540 m trade, port security, and tourism boost

FOLLOWING a year marked by €540 million in bilateral trade and $485 million in French investment, France is seeking deeper engagement with Sri Lanka by expanding its tourism ties, supporting maritime security, and reinforcing regional cooperation, said French Ambassador Rémi Lambert recently.

- BY DIVYA THOTAWATTE

This address took place at the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka-France Business Council (SLFBC) held at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The Ambassador attended the event as Chief Guest and Patron of the Council, which serves as a key body facilitating trade and investment ties between the two countries.

During the meeting, MAC Group Chairman Andre Fernando was reelected as President of the Council, supported by Inter Air Sea and Logistics Assistant General Manager Jonathan Suppiah as Senior Vice President, and of Spillburg Holdings Director and CEO Shaameel Mohideen as Vice President. The Council's Committee Members for the year include representatives from Puritas Ltd., Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC, Mack Air Ltd., Noyon Lanka Ltd., and CEVA Logistics.

In his address, Fernando highlighted tourism and investment as two strategic avenues through which the Council is working to deepen engagement. He shared that discussions were ongoing to bring a well-known French sports personality to Sri Lanka to assist with tourism promotion, supported by exposure across French media platforms. On the investment front, he said the Council is in talks to attract France-based investors operating in India to explore opportunities for expansion into Sri Lanka.

These initiatives were part of the groundwork laid over the past year, with the aim of achieving positive outcomes in the medium to long term.

Lambert's address focused on his diplomatic vision, with the three key pillars of economic collaboration, maritime, logistics and aviation and tourism guiding France-Sri Lanka cooperation.