Alireza made this statement during his talks with Rishad Bathiudeen, Sri Lankan minister of industry and commerce, in Jeddah on Thursday.

Sri Lankan Ambassador Ahmed A. Jawad and Lankan Consul General in Jeddah Sabarullah Khan also attended the ministerial discussions.

Bathiudeen, who is currently on an official visit to the Kingdom, also met Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen, Deputy Finance Minister Hamad Al-Bazie and Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during his stay in the capital.

The Saudi minister told the visiting minister that the Kingdom was not in a position earlier to promote much trade between the two countries due to the unrest in some parts of the country.

He added that he would now send a Saudi trade delegation to the island nation soon to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.

On a request made by the Sri Lankan minister, the Saudi minister had agreed to send a technical team to identify new areas of cooperation in the field of agriculture under King Abdullah’s Initiative for Saudi Agricultural Investment Abroad.

Following the talks with Alireza, Bathiudeen said that the Saudi side evinced unprecedented interest to develop bilateral trade. He said the two parties have agreed to establish a Saudi-Sri Lanka Business Council to intensify the trade relations between the two countries.

Bathiudeen said the bilateral trade stood at $249 million which included $43.8 million for Sri Lanka’s exports to the Kingdom. This can be improved with the exchange of trade visits between the two countries and the establishment of business council, the minister said.

Speaking about his country’s economy, the Lankan minister said the island’s growth rate which was 8.1 percent last year, is expected to increase to 9 percent this year. The country’s per capita income has increased by 16.6 percent, he noted.

Bathiudeen had also requested Saudi Arabia to import garments from Sri Lanka. “Currently, we are exporting garments to EU countries and United States. He said the private sector could manufacture garments according to the specifications of the Saudi businessmen.

He urged Saudi businessmen to invest in upcoming projects in the island nation, which would yield attractive gains.

“The end of the ethnic conflict has paved the way for several business opportunities in the country,” the minister said, adding that the promising areas of investment include tourism, garments industry, information technology, cultivation of fruits and vegetables and gem and jewelry.

The minister said that there was a remarkable growth in the number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka after peace was restored following the country’s victory over terror.

He said last year, he said the island reported 600,000 tourists and by the end of 2015 it is expected to host 2.5 million tourists from all parts of the world. The tourist traffic from Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka has increased manifold following the restoration of peace.

During the talks, the visiting minister also conveyed the greetings of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is keen on strengthening bilateral relations between the island and its friendly countries.