Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has preferential and free trade agreements with India, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Singapore and Israel. It is currently in the processing of upgrading its agreement with India to a much more comprehensive one.
Sri Lanka is also party to SAFTA, the agreement on a South Asia Free Trade Area, as well as BIMSTEC, which aims to hammer out a regional FTA.
last update: May 2012
Next round of negotiations on Thai FTA in two weeks. Joint feasibility study on FTA with Bangladesh to be implemented soon.
The rationality behind the Singapore-Sri Lanka FTA is still undiscovered.
The Association of IT Professionals convened a press briefing in Colombo regarding the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in which they stated it appears Member of Parliament Malik Samarawikrama is not versed on the agreement and that they themselves showed the Minister the clause regarding manpower.
Malaysia has expressed its strong interest in moving forward on the free trade agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka that was initially contemplated in 2013, a communiqué from Sri Lanka’s Industry and Commerce Ministry said yesterday.
Beijing possibly hoping for a return to power of the Rajapaksa clan.
Sri Lanka is expecting to ink a deal on a strategic economic partnership with Thailand on July 12, including initial talks on a free trade agreement.
Sri Lankan public has not heard of most of the FTAs that the country has entered into, let alone the harm or benefit they might get.
President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardane impugned before the Supreme Court that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Sri Lanka has entered into with Singapore is inimical to the interests of Sri Lanka.
The trade deal between Singapore and Sri Lanka is not seen that of ’equals’ to create economic relations. The difference is not pertaining to their respective economic powers but their legal and regulatory frameworks.
Secretary to the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade, Chandani Wijewardana last week refuted reports that discussions between Sri Lanka and China on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) had come to a standstill.
