The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will use its 187th annual general meeting on June 25 to spotlight the United Kingdom as a strategic trade partner, with the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka set to deliver the keynote address.
UK High Commissioner Andrew Patrick will headline the gathering at The Forum, Cinnamon Life, in remarks the chamber said would reflect the “close and longstanding ties” between the two countries. “His presence … is especially fitting at a juncture when strengthening trade ties, investor confidence, and sustained economic reform remain front of mind for the nation’s business community,” the chamber said in a statement.
Chamber Chairperson Krishan Balendra will use the occasion to outline the year’s progress and set out priorities for the period ahead. The Ceylon Chamber said his remarks would frame its continued push to sharpen private sector competitiveness, drive evidence-based policy advocacy, and anchor long-term economic stability.
The meeting follows visit week by UK Trade Envoy Lord Hannett and Patrick to discuss boosting Sri Lanka’s exports under London’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme zero-tariff arrangement, reinforcing the UK’s standing as one of Sri Lanka’s largest individual export destinations.
The June 25 session is scheduled to begin at 5.30 pm and will be followed by a networking reception for members and guests, the chamber said. The AGM caps a busy week of UK-Sri Lanka commercial diplomacy that the chamber’s October Sri Lanka Economic Summit is expected to build on, with private sector competitiveness and policy advocacy framed as the year’s twin themes.
Source: Ceylon Chamber AGM to spotlight UK ties, competitiveness, policy push — EconomyNext, June 19.
