Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament today that the government will not sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or a similar agreement with India and hit out strongly at the GMOA for making false claims regarding the matter

The government will only enter into an economic and technical pact, he said.

Critics of the CEPA have argued that it will open up the Sri Lankan market to Indian companies without restriction.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe pointed out that the former government of Mahinda Rajapaksa had agreed to the CEPA with India. The new government decided to sign an economic and technical pact considering the concerns raised by various professionals, he added.

The Prime Minister lashed out at the GMOA for insisting that the agreement with India will affect professional services. He pointed out that the agreement will only cover goods and technical sectors. Professional services will not be covered by the agreement, he said.