COLOMBO, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will work toward developing greater bilateral trade ties with developing countries in the region, local media quoting a Foreign Ministry official as saying on Monday.
"We want to shift our focus closer to home, mainly South Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, and Africa. We want to shift the focus mainly on trade-related and investment matters and how best we could benefit from two-way trade with these countries," Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage was quoted as saying by state-owned Daily News.
Colombage said that the government will adopt a "Sri Lanka First" approach, and seek to promote exports while pursuing stronger ties with regional entities like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
Colombage said that the government's foreign policy would be driven by the country's economic development goals, particularly the urgent need to provide jobs, housing, healthcare, education, and security to all communities living in the country. Enditem
