According to Mr. Ali Sabri, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President’s Counsel, Sri Lanka was able to get out of the economic crisis in a short period of two years compared to other countries that were in a serious economic crisis.
The minister also said that it took more than 10 years for many countries in economic crisis including Greece, Zimbabwe and Argentina to get out of that situation.
He expressed these views while participating as the chief guest at the celebration held yesterday (24) at the Kandy Grand Kandian Hotel to mark the completion of 30 years of the Kandy Muslim Trade Association.
In conjunction with the anniversary celebration of the Muslim Trade Union, awards were also presented to the businessmen and social workers of Kandy district who showed high skills in the business field.
Speaking there, the minister said that due to the adoption of strict economic policies, Sri Lanka had the opportunity to get economic flexibility and approach stability. Mr. Sabri also emphasized that the President has worked to adopt suitable leadership and suitable policies for the country.
He said that the size of the public service in Sri Lanka has increased compared to other countries in the world, and said that there should be some reforms in the public service and that the salary they are entitled to is not enough compared to the size.
The minister said that 15 lakh foreign tourists came to Sri Lanka last year and it is the government’s expectation to increase that target to 25 lakh this year. He also mentioned that two hundred and ten thousand foreign tourists have come to Sri Lanka in January.
The minister said that the economic value of Sri Lanka with assets of 86,000 billion is 74 billion and it is a very small value compared to the world economy.
He also said that a large market should be developed on the basis of foreign investment to increase that small value to some extent.
He also said that countries like Bangladesh, China, India, and Vietnam have made rapid progress by resorting to trade agreements.
Pointing out that a government should not do business, he further stated that it should be the government’s job to provide the necessary facilities for a business.
