Romania has stepped into provide employment opportunities to Sri Lankan workers in that country as it is opening up 100,000 foreign jobs in the construction, IT and tourism sectors earlier this year.
Romanian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Victor Chiujdea said IT-skilled youth of Sri Lanka have the potential and opportunity to join companies and multinational corporations in Romania.
The Ambassador made these revelations when he called on Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at Temple Trees recently.
The Prime Minister’s Office said they discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and the steps Sri Lanka is taking to overcome the current economic crisis.
Romania has continued to issue work permits to skilled and semi skilled workers from Sri Lanka.
He stated that 1,500 new work permits have been issued recently . There are currently over 8,000 Sri Lankan workers in Romania employed predominantly in the apparel, hospitality and construction sectors, with more skilled job opportunities opening up in other fields such as IT.
Both sides agreed to revitalize and expand the bilateral trade and investment portfolio to fully avail of the EU GSP+ facility and access the wider markets in Central Europe and Asia, respectively.
Technical assistance in locomotive rehabilitation and production, capacity building to address skill gaps in the oil and gas sector and agri processing, were identified for further cooperation.
Ambassador Chiujdea said many leading multinationals are investing heavily in Romania and there will be many opportunities for skilled IT workers from Asian countries including Sri Lanka to find employment.
He also noted that there is potential to explore thousands of jobs for IT specialists in multinational companies as well as in Romanian companies.
“A group of Sri Lankan academics will shortly visit Romania to discuss cooperation in the field of higher education through an exchange visit supported by the European Union,” Ambassador Chiujdea added.
He disclosed that Romania would sign an agreement with Sri Lanka to avoid double taxation to facilitate trade between the two countries.
The Prime Minister extended his appreciation for Romania’s support to Sri Lanka and made a special mention of the Romanian railway compartments and rails provided to Sri Lanka.
