COLOMBO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday that his government aimed to transform the island nation into a hub of the Indian Ocean under the Vision 2025 program.
In a speech, outlining the government's economic policy, delivered at the parliament, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka had to join hands with the external world to strengthen its international connectivity and reclaim its position as a global trading hub.
"We were a trading nation since the era of ancient. Sri Lanka was the hub for transferring goods and knowledge from East to West, and West to East. We should learn from the history on exports and private sector growth which are key elements for becoming a higher middle-income economy," Wickremesinghe said.
In order to give the economy a boost, the prime minister said the government was in discussions to enter into free trade agreements with partner countries around the world.
