Now is an important time in Sri Lanka's economic development and the UK is already playing a role, through the companies represented by the Council for Business with Britain (CBB), but we can do more, stated Acting British High Commissioner, Mark Gooding at the 10th Annual General Meeting of the CBB.

This will further help develop the strong existing economic and cultural links between our two countries at this exciting time for Sri Lanka," he said.

The Council for Business with Britain is expecting more business volumes between the two countries with the end of a three decade conflict.

Sri Lanka is on the threshold of a new economic era where the private sector will have to play an important role and the Council must look at ways to interact with its member in order to assist them in benefiting from the expected upturn in trade and business in general, stated Mr. Nick Nicolaou, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The CBB has a diverse membership of over 140 companies.

The CBB has also continued to support the English Language Teacher Training programme now in its fifth year and run on their behalf by the British Council in association with the National Institute of Education and the Ministry of Education. Aimed at improving the English language skills of pupils in rural schools, the programme concentrates on building the capacity of English language teachers so they can deliver lessons more effectively.