MATTALA AND HAMBANTOTA TO POSITION SRI LANKA AS A LOGISTICS HUB – DR CHRIS NONIS AT THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FORUM, UK

L to R: H.E. Mr Gordon Campbell, Canadian High Commissioner, Ambassador Prof. Miomir Zuzul, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, H.E. Ms Ruth Elizabeth Rouse, Grenadian High Commissioner and
H.E. Dr Chris Nonis, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK. 

Dr. Chris Nonis spoke on the Ambassadors Panel of the Global Economic Forum 2013, UK, and highlighted the geo-strategic positioning of Sri Lanka at the nexus between shipping and aviation routes of the West and the East, and the substantial infrastructure development in the country in the post-conflict era. He spoke of the recently inaugurated Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, along with the Hambantota Port, which will help to position Sri Lanka as a logistics hub within the Indian Ocean. Dr. Nonis also spoke of the infrastructure investments in “Uthuru Wasanthaya” and “Nagenahira Navodaya” in the North and East, in addition to the comprehensive reconciliation and reintegration programmes in Sri Lanka.

He also highlighted the increasing number of tourists to Sri Lanka, with over 114,000 tourists from Britain alone, from a total of over 1 million in 2012, and that British Airways will shortly recommence its flights to Sri Lanka, which are strong indices of the tourism potential of the Country.

The panel consisted of H.E. Mr Gordon Campbell, Canadian High Commissioner; H.E. Ms Ruth Elizabeth Rouse, Grenadian High Commissioner; chaired by Ambassador Prof. Miomir Zuzul, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia; and H.E. Dr Chris Nonis, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK, who each spoke about their respective Countries on the theme of “Economic Diplomacy” and its value in increasing trade and investment inflows to their Countries.

The High Commission of Sri Lanka
London