In the new situation developing in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism, the focus is very sharply on economic development, and there are abundant opportunities for participation by French companies, Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, told Madame Anne-Marie Idrac, French Minister of State for Trade and the Economy, at their meeting in Paris last week.

Prof. Peiris informed the French Minister of the strong interest shown by France’s corporate sector, at their meetings with him in Paris and Lyon, in expanding their investment and trade relationships with Sri Lanka in the new situation.

In Lyon, the second largest city in France and an important centre of commerce, the travel sector informed Prof. Peiris that they were making arrangements to fly 5,000 tourists into Sri Lanka during the four months commencing in October this year. At a series of meetings in which more than 15 leading French companies sought with him, construction, water management, lighting and pharmaceuticals were identified as the principal areas for collaboration between Sri Lanka and France.

Prof. Peiris gave the French Minister a detailed account of the initiatives being taken by the government of Sri Lanka in the fields of resettlement and rehabilitation, activation of the democratic process with the holding of elections which were prevented by terrorist violence, and revival of the economy in those parts of the country which had been affected by terrorism.

Restoration of livelihoods, the Minister pointed out to his French counterpart, is the crucial element of the policies that are required to enable the people on whom pain and anguish had been inflicted by terrorism for two decades, to rebuild their lives on a stable foundation.

He underlined Sri Lanka’s achievement in raising her per capita income level to more than 2,015 U.S. Dollars a year. He referred to the government’s sustained efforts to uplift social and economic conditions in the rural areas of the country.

One of the main modalities for achieving this, he continued, was through employment in garment factories, many of which are located in the rural heartland of Sri Lanka. Garments represent today the country’s dominant export, bringing in foreign exchange in excess of 3.1 billion U.S. dollars per year.

A significant feature of this situation, the Minister told Madame Idrac, is that the overwhelming majority of the employees in these garment factories are women who have become breadwinners for their families. Consequently, the objectives of gender equality and women’s empowerment have been considerably accomplished by the growth of the apparel sector, its expansion being greatly assisted by the concessionary access now available to the markets of the European Union.

Prof. Peiris observed that European buyers have consistently expressed satisfaction not only with the high quality of these products and punctual delivery, but also with the remarkably high ethical standards prevailing in Sri Lanka’s garment factories and the opportunities for training and social advancement provided for employees. He referred to the pioneering work done in this regard by the Joint Apparel Associations Federation, which had received emphatic acclaim in Europe.

If trade benefits which Sri Lanka had enjoyed during the last three years are withdrawn by the European Commission, the harm inflicted will be on the poorest sections of the population, Prof. Peiris said. In a situation where a developing country, notwithstanding violence perpetrated by one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world, has succeeded dramatically in creating employment opportunities for women and enabling them to live lives attended by dignity and fulfillment, it is hardly appropriate for European authorities to embark on a course of action which will lead to the destruction of these opportunities and bring about economic adversity and deprivation, Minister Peiris emphasized.

These consequences will be all the more unfortunate in a situation where the country is emerging from two decades of painful conflict and attempting to build up its economy. There needs to be greater understanding of the exceptionally difficult challenges which Sri Lanka had to confront in its struggle against relentless terror, and the need of the hour is friendship and goodwill, he continued.

Prof. Peiris briefed the French Minister fully about the Sri Lankan government’s actions to address matters connected with internally displaced persons and their resettlement.