COLOMBO, AUGUST 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian ambassador to India Ashot Kocharian, who is accredited to Sri Lanka pluralistically, paid a working visit to Colombo on August 1-5 where he had meetings at a number of ministries and Ceylon's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The ambassador had a working meeting with the MFA Europe Department's director general K. Vijeyratne on August 1. During the meeting, details of the bilateral cooperation were discussed. In particular, the necessity for creating the legal field and for mutual visits at high level and businessmen's mutual visits was pointed out. A. Kocharian met with the deputy minister of trade, market development and consumption issues R. Ratnayake on August 2. The sides outlined the following spheres of mutually beneficial cooperation: tourism, education, culture, information technologies, agriculture, and jewelry making. At the round table organized at Ceylon's Chamber of Commerce and Industry on August 3, Ashot Kocharian made a speech on Armenia. The ambassador spoke about priorities of Armenia's foreign policy, political and economic developments, the investment policy of the government, and the favorable legislative field. The chairman of Ceylon's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahen Dayananda gave the Armenian ambassador an official invitation to participate in IMEXPRO 2008 - Import & Export Promotion Fair to be held in Colombo in February 2008. On August 4 and 5 Ashot Kocharian met with businessmen and heads of structures on trade and economic promotion issues of Sri Lanka. Issues related to potential long-term cooperation were discussed.

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