Thailand and Sri Lanka are resuming talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) this week in Colombo.
According to the Sri Lankan President’s Media Division (PMD), 26 delegates from Thailand will attend the discussions on January 9 and 10.
This was confirmed by Auramon Supthaweethum, Director-General of Thailand’s Department of Trade Negotiations.
The negotiations will focus on topics ranging from goods, trade in services and investments to rules of origin, customs cooperation, trade facilitation and economic cooperation.
Talks were supposed to take place in 2018, but were suspended for four years due to the global pandemic and the ongoing restructuring of Sri Lanka’s government agencies.
The Thai committee at the talks is expected to negotiate rules on bilateral trade, such as regulations on the origin of goods, standard of service, investments, customs and trade facilitation.
The PMD said Sri Lanka in 2021 imported goods worth US$355 million from Thailand and exported $59 million worth of products to the kingdom.
Last year, Thailand exported $253 million worth of goods to Sri Lanka and imported over goods worth $81 million from the country. (NNT)