Thailand-Sri Lanka to get together in Bangkok to hash out free trade accord

Auramon Supthaweethum, DTN director-general, said committees from both sides will meet from Monday to Wednesday.

Seven sub-committees will hold meetings on the subjects of goods trading, country of origin rules, services, investments, technical obstacles, remedies and law.

Auramon said her department expected the free trade negotiations with Sri Lanka to be concluded by early next year.

Thailand and Sri Lanka began discussing a free trade agreement (FTA) since 2018, but the talks were suspended during the Covid pandemic and because Sri Lanka’s negotiating committee was changed.

Negotiations resumed this year.

In the first six months of the year, bilateral trade between the two nations stood at US$178.99 million (6.34 billion baht). Thailand’s exports to Sri Lanka were worth $119.62 million dollars and imports were valued at $59.37 million during the same period.