UK Prime Minister appoints Trade Envoy for Sri Lanka
British Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed Ranil Jayawardena, MP, as her trade envoy for Sri Lanka.
Ranil Jayawardena
Mr Jayawardena鈥檚 role as trade envoy will be to support and enhance the development of Britain鈥檚 trade and investment with Sri Lanka.
Mr Jayawardena will be visiting Sri Lanka from 15 to 17 February to meet with senior members of the government and engage with British businesses working in Sri Lanka.
Following his appointment, Ranil Jayawardena said:
Given the shared history and close bonds of friendship between Britain and Sri Lanka 鈥� and with my family ties to Sri Lanka 鈥� I am looking forward to serving as the Prime Minister鈥檚 Trade Envoy at an exciting time for both our countries.
There鈥檚 lots of scope for further trade and investment between Britain and Sri Lanka. I recently visited 鈥楶ort City鈥�, one among many initiatives that the Sri Lankan Government is pushing forward that demonstrate its commitment to creating the right conditions for economic growth.
Port City will provide a range of opportunities for UK-based professional services to work with Sri Lankan partners to take forward our shared ambitions to develop international business. I am confident that engagement by the UK鈥檚 professional services sector will help Port City to attract international investment and build its reputation.
British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, James Dauris said:
For centuries Britain has been a global trading nation. Today we have one of the world鈥檚 largest economies and strong commercial relationships with countries around the globe.
As the Sri Lankan economy grows we are seeing an encouraging increase in the number of British companies wanting to do business with Sri Lanka. Mr Jayawardana鈥檚 appointment will help us to encourage more UK firms to look at options for doing business in and with Sri Lanka and to boost bilateral trade.
Further information
Jayawardena was elected as MP for North East Hampshire in May 2015 and was re-elected in 2017. He has a degree in government from the London School of Economics. In Parliament he is the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sri Lanka. Mr Jayawardena鈥檚 father is of Sri Lankan origin.