Sri Lanka's political stability and sense of hope will propel it to become "the world's next success story", and investors are "invited to be a part of it", the country's prime minister, Harini Amarasuriya, said on Thursday at an investment seminar in Bangkok.
She presented investment opportunities to a room full of local and international business people eager to learn more about the island's potential.
The event was organised by the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Thailand and the Thai-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce. It was held on the sidelines of the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), which Bangkok will be hosting from April 2-4.
Ms Harini, who was installed in office last September, said her government has overseen signs of economic recovery, particularly in the aftermath of the political problems in 2022 triggered by an economic crisis.
The country has seen a surge in foreign arrivals since the start of this year and hopes 2025 will see a record number of tourists, said Ms Harini.
Sri Lanka is the only country to have free trade agreements with both India and Pakistan, giving duty-free access to over 1.5 billion consumer markets, she noted.
"We are looking to strengthen our relationships with partners in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We are also looking to non-traditional partners, looking forward," she said.
Thailand and Sri Lanka share such deep cultural roots, notably in Buddhism, even though Sri Lanka is a pluralistic society and home to all the world's major religions, Ms Harini said.
From 2008 to 2024, Thailand contributed US$97 million to Sri Lanka's foreign direct investment.
The two nations have an FTA that covers investments and services beyond trade in goods.
Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand, also addressed the forum and welcomed all guests. She urged Thai investors to invest in Sri Lanka for the benefit of both nations.
Dilan Samarakoon, president of the Thai-Sri Lanka chamber of commerce, said this is the start of Sri Lanka's "new era" as the country is pursuing robust infrastructure development along with a more highly skilled workforce.
Sri Lanka is also building a strategic economic project dubbed "Port City Colombo", the first multi-services special economic zone, Mr Dilan said, with top sectors for investors including pharmaceuticals, electronics, and automobiles and parts.
