Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) signed an MoU to promote trade and investment between Sri Lanka and India.

The signing of the MOU took place in the Andra Pradesh Chamber head office.

The MoU is aimed at fostering friendship and promote trade, investment, social, economic, human resource development, technical and scientific cooperation, friendship and other spheres of economic activity between the two nations.

According to a communique issued by the FCCISL Samantha Abeywickrama, Secretary General of FCCISL said there is immense potential left to further expand bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka. Since the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in March 2000 trade has grown rapidly between the two countries.

Abeywickrama said that negotiations on India and Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is now ready to be signed and thus it would facilitate the inclusion of investment and services in addition to deepening commitments embodied in the FTA.