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Lankan
trade negotiation SME development expertise for Iraqi officials
A ten day workshop on Capacity Building Trade Negotiation
and SME development for Iraqi officials was inaugurated on
October 10, at the Ceylon Continental Hotel organised by the
Ministry of Export Development and International Trade.
The workshop is the sequel of a meeting of the visiting Iraqi
trade delegation led by Abdulhadi K. Al-Hamiri Advisor to
His Excellency the Minister of Trade, Director General of
the Foreign Economic Relations Department of Iraq, with the
Minister of Export Development and International Trade Professor
G.L Peiris, in October 2007. The delegation was in Sri Lanka
to reactivate the commercial and economic relations between
the republic of Iraq and the Democratic Socialist Republic
of Sri Lanka.
During the meeting, Minister Professor G.L Peiris offered
to conduct a workshop in Sri Lanka on Capacity Building Trade
Negotiation and SME Development for Iraqi officials.
S. Rannuge, Secretary Ministry Export Development and International
Trade, Anil Koswatte Chairman Sri Lanka Export Development
Board, Turki H. Himli Senior Director Department of Foreign
Economic Relations, Trade Ministry of Iraq addressed the participants
at the inauguration of the workshop. Yassir Kadhim Charge’d
Affairs Embassy of the Republic of Iraq was also present at
the inauguration.
Lectures and discussions on International Trading Systems,
WTO negotiations, Regional Trading arrangements, SME development
Inspection and Quality Control, Sri Lanka’s experience
in conducting trade negotiations; are some of the topics to
be discussed during the workshop. The participants will have
the opportunity of visiting a tea factory and an Export Promotion
Village during their stay in Sri Lanka.
Iraq was ranked as the 38th largest export market for Sri
Lanka, absorbing 0.34% (US$ 26.45 million) of Sri Lanka’s
exports to the world in 2007. The Balance of Trade between
the two countries during the last 10 year period; was highly
in favour of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s imports from Iraq
are negligible. Tea is the main export product of Sri Lanka
to Iraq.
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