Jakarta – Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), Anindya Novyan Bakrie, received Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Indonesia and ASEAN, Shashikala Premawardhana, at The Convergence Indonesia, Rasuna Epicentrum, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (July 22, 2026). The meeting focused on strengthening business, trade, and investment relations between Indonesia and Sri Lanka through enhanced private sector cooperation.

Chairman of Kadin Indonesia Anindya Novyan Bakrie said Indonesia and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a long-standing friendship rooted in shared history.

"Historically, if we recall the Asian-African Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, Sri Lanka was one of the pioneers alongside Indonesia. Beyond that, our people-to-people ties have also existed for many years," said Anindya, who is widely known as Anin.

According to Anin, the Sri Lankan Ambassador's visit aimed to ensure that business-to-business (B2B) cooperation progresses alongside the strong government-to-government relations that have long existed between the two countries.

"Our bilateral trade currently stands at around US$500–600 million annually. The challenge now is how we can increase that figure while also creating a more balanced trade relationship," Anin said.

Beyond trade, Anin noted that both sides also explored opportunities to increase bilateral investment.

"The Ambassador also shared that there are several projects in Sri Lanka with strong potential for Indonesian businesses to become pioneers of broader economic cooperation," he said.

According to Anin, such cooperation can be realized through various mechanisms, including closer collaboration between the chambers of commerce of both countries, the establishment of a High-Level Business Council, and direct partnerships between private sector players.

"Kadin Indonesia is more than willing to take the lead in facilitating all of these forms of cooperation," Anin said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN Shashikala Premawardhana said her visit was intended to further strengthen business ties between the two countries, which have long been connected by historical and cultural links.

"We want to strengthen our business-to-business connections. Historically, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have enjoyed close relations since the era of the Non-Aligned Movement—and even long before that. Our two countries share deep civilizational ties," she said.

Shashikala explained that both parties agreed to revive several previously discussed initiatives, including the establishment of the Indonesia–Sri Lanka Business Council and the reactivation of the long-pending Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kadin Indonesia and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. In addition, both countries will increase their participation in each other's trade promotion events.

"We will participate in the Indonesia Expo, and we also invite Kadin Indonesia to take part in the Sri Lanka Expo, which will be held next January. We hope to further strengthen the economic and trade relations between our two countries. We also intend to introduce Sri Lankan investors who have made significant investments in Indonesia as part of our efforts to deepen bilateral economic cooperation," she concluded.

Also attending the meeting was Kadin Indonesia Vice Chairman for Foreign Relations Bernardino M. Vega.