Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and Alexi Fonseka Gunasekera, Consul-General-designate of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, have discussed strengthening economic cooperation and fostering investment partnerships between business communities of the two nations.

During a meeting at the SCCI headquarters in the presence of Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, Director-General of the SCCI, and Fatima Khalifa Al Mokarrab, Director of the SCCI's International Relations Department, both sides explored avenues for incentivising businesses across various sectors to bolster the exchange of information regarding investment opportunities.

During the gathering, the two sides emphasised the private sector entities’ participation in trade and industrial exhibitions. Discussions also delved into cooperation prospects between Sharjah and Sri Lanka’s business communities and strategies to promote reciprocal visits of trade delegations.

Furthermore, the meeting put the spotlight on opportunities to hold new business forums and open new communication channels, thereby enhancing coordination between businessmen in the two communities. This paves the way to expand the horizons of mutual investment endeavours in key sectors to stimulate sustainable and inclusive economic growth in both countries.

Abdullah Sultan Al Owais welcomed the Sri Lankan Consul, stressing that the Sharjah Chamber seeks to enhance cooperation with the Sri Lankan business community.

He expressed the SCCI’s keen interest in exploring diverse investment opportunities across various sectors and discovering the advantages and incentives Sri Lanka's investment environment offers to investors and businessmen affiliated with the Sharjah Chamber.

Highlighting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the UAE and Sri Lanka to enhance cooperation in civil aviation, Al Owais pointed out that the relationship between the two countries paves the way for Sharjah’s business community to identify and uncover promising future investment prospects in Sri Lanka, especially within the tourism and services sectors, which exhibit favourable indicators for fruitful collaboration.

He stressed that the MoU was signed to strengthen bilateral relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka, stimulate opportunities for a more diverse range of tourism services, support the economies and tourism sectors in both countries, and enhance the performance of business sectors across various commercial, industrial, and service activities.