JEDDAH, 1 March 2003 — The recently formed parliamentary friendship societies in both Riyadh and Colombo are paving the way for exploring investment opportunities, according to a visiting senior Sri Lankan minister.
“Discussions between members of the Shoura Council and Sri Lankan Parliament have helped assess the investment potentials in both countries. They have also resulted in a greater understanding in the Kingdom of the peace process that we have embarked upon with Tamil rebels on the island,” Abdul Hameed Azwer, minister of parliamentary affairs and secretary of the Sri Lanka-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Association, told reporters.
He said the Saudi-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Association was formed recently at the chamber of the Shoura Council in Riyadh during the visit of a 13-member delegation from Colombo.
“We had extensive discussions with officials of the Riyadh and Jeddah chambers of commerce and industry that focused on investment and tourism in our countries,” he said, adding that Eastern Province Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd and many Saudi business leaders showed a keen interest in visiting Sri Lanka.
