• Free Trade Agreement would be revived and upgraded

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that Free Trade Agreement with India would be revived and upgraded into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership. He said Sri Lanka and India gradually have to wean themselves out of the barriers to investment and the non-tariff barriers to trade, especially in relation to Sri Lanka Indo economic relations. 

He made these observations addressing the Sri Lanka India Society (SLIS) get together in Colombo on Thursday evening to mark the 75th anniversary of the Independence of India.

“India and Sri Lanka have many things in common. That is symbolized by your flag carrying the Ashoka Chakra. Under Ashoka, the great Emperor of Buddhism, came to Sri Lanka.  The Mauryan rule came to Sri Lanka. Even after the Mauryan system collapsed with the succeeding Guptas, the Mauryan system of rule came and stayed in Sri Lanka well in the latter part of our dry zone kingdom, the Rajarata Kingdom. So far, institutes of government, the planning of our cities come from this system.

We also had Buddhism, which was sent in by Emperor Asoka and then the Indian flag today symbolizes the origin of how Sri Lankan society was built. The two languages we have, Sinhala and Tamil which were originated from Sanskrit and Pali to be exact Magadi, which was preached by the Buddha as he went down the Ganges plains. This is just the beginning.  So many other systems of customs have come along here from India, from North India, and more so in the last thousand or more years from South India.

You could see a commonality in the customs that have come from Tamil Nadu and the customs that have come from Kerala. 

• Sri Lanka and India gradually have to wean themselves out of the barriers to investment and the non-tariff barriers to trade, especially in relation to Sri Lanka Indo economic relations