OCCI hosts Omani-Sri Lanka business forum
The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), headed by Eng Reda bin Juma al Saleh, chairman of the chamber’s Board of Directors, organised a virtual meeting of Omani and Sri Lankan business tycoons with an aim to enhance the economic and commercial cooperation with the island nation.
The meeting of the Omani-Sri Lanka Business Forum held in cooperation with the Sri Lankan Embassy in the sultanate and the Sri Lankan National Chamber of Commerce also aims to develop commercial relations between the two countries, said the OCCI.
Nandika Podipala, president of the National Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, headed the Sri Lankan team, while H E Sheikh Juma bin Hamdan al Malik al Shehhi, Oman’s Ambas
ENG REDA BIN JUMA
AL SALEH
sador to Sri Lanka, H E Omar Libi Amir Ajwad, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the sultanate, Ali bin Hamdan al Ajmi, a member of the Board of Directors Amman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Al Fadl bin Abbas al Hinai, CEO of the Amman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a number of other business owners attended the meeting as delegates.
In his welcome speech, Saleh asserted that “this meeting will produce positive results that will serve the private sector in the Sultanate of Oman and Sri Lanka, especially since they have been linked to vital commercial relations for hundreds of years”.
“The agreement will strengthen trade relations between the two countries in various economic fields,” he said.
Saleh explained that the exchange of experiences between the sultanate and Sri Lanka has witnessed a remarkable fluctuation in recent years, as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries in 2019 amounted to about US$75mn, of which the Omani exports represented about US$14.8mn, which is a significant decrease compared to 2018, when it amounted to US$34mn. The volume of Omani imports from Sri Lanka in 2019 amounted to US$60.2mn, while imports from Sri Lanka in 2018 did not exceed US$18mn.
The agreement will strengthen trade relations between the two countries in various economic fields