RIYADH, 22 July 2005 — Sri Lanka’s new Consul General Masihudeen Inamullah said he hopes to run his mission with a new vision.
Inamullah, who took over the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jeddah early this week, said that besides labor welfare work, he hopes to concentrate more on promoting trade, investment and tourism between the two countries.
“Although Jeddah is the commercial hub of the Kingdom, Sri Lanka has not fully utilized the Kingdom’s resources,” Inamullah said.
His priorities, he said, were to bring in a ministerial delegation to the Kingdom in September this year to exchange business information and to tell the Saudi businessmen of the attractive opportunities available in the island.
Last year, the Kingdom’s exports to Colombo were estimated at $119 million, while its imports from the island were $30.83 million. Saudi Arabia’s exports include oil and petroleum products and its imports from Sri Lanka were tea, gemstones, coconut, coconut products and apparel. A total of 10 Saudi companies have already started projects in marine, medicare, garments, tourism and fruit juice industries in Sri Lanka.
“There are other areas where Saudi investors could benefit,” Inamullah said. They included construction and development of seaports, airports, railways, water service, health, power generation, information technology and agriculture. Large numbers of Saudis are going to Sri Lanka for tourist and business purposes and it could be further enhanced by promoting the island.
To promote bilateral trade, the consul general emphasized the need for a commerce department in his mission.
Consumption of Sri Lankan tea in Saudi Arabia has dropped from 80 to 60 percent during the past 10 years. Ceylon Tea accounts for 65 percent of the island’s import revenue from the Kingdom.
Inamullah who had met Minister of Labor and Employment Athauda Seneviratne and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar before his departure to the Kingdom, said he intends to procure more employment opportunities for skilled Sri Lankan workers in the Kingdom.
“There are many skilled workers who could easily fit into sectors of employment in the Kingdom,” Inamullah said.
The diplomat described Saudi Arabia as a country loved by all Sri Lankans back home because of its dynamic leadership in the Islamic world. “Its generosity is well known even in remote villages of the island,” he added.
Inamullah succeeds A.M.J. Sadiq who has been appointed as the island’s ambassador to Riyadh.
