Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has defended the participation of Sri Lankan government officials in the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Policy Review in Geneva, following criticism over the composition of the delegation.
The WTO’s Trade Policy Review of Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place from October 14 to 17 in Geneva. Representatives from multiple agencies—including the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, Sri Lanka Customs, and the Board of Investment (BOI)—are expected to attend, the Minister said.
“This is a discussion of trade policy, not a tour,” Samarasinghe told Parliament.
According to the Minister, Sri Lanka has received 245 questions WTO officials regarding various aspects of its trade policy, and the attending officials are expected to respond to these during the three-day review.
“We must also have a technical point of Sri Lanka, in instances where they may not be satisfied with our answers, and we have to discuss and get back to them,” he said.
Samarasinghe criticized what he described as uninformed and politically motivated comments. “Statements were made at a very low level without any understanding of such a technical process,” he said.
His comments followed remarks by MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, who questioned the inclusion of nine officials in the delegation, specifically pointing out the presence of a woman named Nimodi Wickramasinghe, identified as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of a minister. “I have a question as to why she is going,” Dasanayake said. (Newswire)