• There are obnoxious demands in EU parliament’s resolution
• Fuel prices are the lowest in the region   

By Kelum Bandara   

State Minister of Money,Capital Markets and Public Enterprise Reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the government is working out strategies to position itself to export Sri Lankan products in a competitive business environment rather than depending on trade concessions such as GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) +.   

The European Parliament, in its resolution, has called for, among others, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to be replaced with a new counterterrorism law.  
Making his remarks on the European Parliament’s resolution on Sri Lanka with conditions for the extension of this trade facility to access markets in the region, the Minister said there were ‘obnoxious demands’ in this resolution for a country to do to qualify for trade concessions.   

He said similar threats were made during the wartime asking Sri Lanka to stop military operations.  
“Luckily, we did not surrender to such demands,” he said. 

 
The Minister said Sri Lanka should engage in export trading in a globally competitive environment, and for that purpose, a strategy would be worked out for it by improving productivity.   “There are demands asking for Sri Lanka to soften its relations with China, to release some people arrested. It is improper to coerce a country to toe a particular line by dangling a reward or issuing a threat,” he said.   Commenting on the recent fuel price hike, he said the prices are the lowest in South Asia despite recent hikes in the local market.     

• Similar threats were made during the wartime asking Sri Lanka to stop military operations