President Dissanayake to visit France

Colombo, June 25 (Daily Mirror) - President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to undertake an official visit to France on July 16, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations and attracting increased French investment to Sri Lanka.

A key highlight of the visit will be a meeting between President Dissanayake and Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM, one of the world's largest maritime transport and logistics companies. The planned engagement was confirmed by French Ambassador to Sri Lanka Rémi Lambert, who noted growing interest among French businesses in investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.

Details of the visit emerged during a meeting between Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunatilake and a delegation of French investors led by Ambassador Lambert.

Addressing the discussion, Christine Cabau, Executive Vice President of CMA CGM and head of the visiting delegation, highlighted the company's global operations, which span more than 65 container terminals worldwide. She said the strategic location of the Port of Colombo presents significant opportunities for expanding container transshipment activities and revealed that CMA CGM is exploring the possibility of increasing cargo volumes through joint venture investments.

Cabau also disclosed that the company is conducting feasibility studies related to the second phase of the West Container Terminal development project at the Port of Colombo. She noted that CMA CGM currently handles more than 50 percent of the container traffic arriving at the East Container Terminal and sees potential for further expansion.