India-Sri Lanka FTA needs to be upgraded: Lankan PM in Delhi

NEW DELHI : The India-Sri Lanka free trade agreement (FTA), signed way back in 1998, “needs to be upgraded”, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said on Friday.

In her address at NDTV World Summit here, she also said that as the island nation rebuilds, its partnership with India has “evolved into a forward-looking, multi-faceted collaboration in every conceivable area”.

Amarasuriya is on a three-day visit to India from October 16-18, her first official tour to the country after assuming office as the prime minister.

Later, speaking at an event organised by a television channel and a think tank, Amarasuriya described India as a “partner of long-standing trust” and said that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations, signed in 1998, needs to be upgraded. She noted that India’s global rise and inclusive approach serve as an “anchor of stability” and emphasised Sri Lanka’s goal of positioning itself as a maritime hub in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).