Foreign Affairs State Minister Wasantha Senanayake, German Ambassador Jorn Rohde and the German Industry and Commerce (AHK) committed themselves to equitable and strong bilateral business ties.
“We want to ensure our Sri Lankan partners that we see each other on the same level,” said AHK Chief Delegate in Sri Lanka Andreas Hergenrother.
“The business relationship between Germany and Sri Lanka spans many decades and is an important one,” said the State Minister. He was presenting the Freudenberg book to the AHK and the German Ambassador during a ceremony. Upon receiving the book, the German emissaries emphasised their commitment to “long-lasting and fair business relationships.”
The book, a historical document from 1873, is a record of the Freudenberg Company and its founder Philip Freudenberg, who was appointed as Consul of the German Empire in Ceylon in 1873. The Freudenberg book capitalises on the almost 150 year-old history of German-Sri Lankan business. Ambassador Rohde told State Minister Senanayake that the Freudenberg book, “not only symbolises your family business history but also a German tradition which started here in 1873. They are all involved in the Sri Lankan business history.”
Incidentally, State Minister Senenayake’s family had revived the Freudenberg Company in 1953, which is how he came to possess the book.
The event also addressed the future of German-Sri Lankan business relations, quoting trade increases from 2017: German exports to Sri Lanka increased by 81 percent, and Sri Lankan imports to Germany increased by 13 percent, reaching a bilateral trade volume of 1.25 billion Euro.
The book presentation was followed by the signing of the DIMO-AHK Sri Lanka Premier Platinum Partnership. Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC had achieved platinum partnership status after contributing more than Rs. 3 million per year to German Industry and Commerce.
Add new comment