GSP+ facility for garment industry:

Lanka confident of positive response

Anuradha Kodagoda

Though Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier stated that Sri Lanka will not get the GSP+ concession for 2009, we are confident that we will receive the GSP+ even for 2010, Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told a press conference held at the Ministry yesterday.

Minister Bogollagama said that Sri Lanka was engaged in talks with the EU countries for the extension of the GSP facility and expressed hope that the issue would be resolved in Sri Lanka’s favour. “However, we will not allow anybody to violate the sovereignty of the country and our main intention is to get international support for the country according to internal policies and also without damaging bilateral relations we have with other countries,” Minister Bogollagama said.

The Minister also discussed details pertaining to the two other important meetings held on the sidelines of the UNGA, namely informal consultations between the SAARC-EU and the ACD meeting. Foreign Minister Bogollagama elaborating on his discussions during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue Meeting stated that all 31 countries attended the meeting during which the Chairmanship of the ACD was handed over to Sri Lanka.

He also stated that the membership of the ACD was briefed on the theme of the eighth Ministerial Meeting to be held in Colombo.