Sri Lanka will help Bangladesh deal with its 3,000 "sick" or closed industries, the official BSS news agency reported here Sunday.
The offer came during talks Sunday between Bangladesh Finance Minister Shah Kibria and Sri Lanka's visiting Minister for Constitutional Affairs and Industrial Development G.L Peiris.
Peiris arrived late Saturday on a five-day visit.
Kibria said about 3,000 industries became "sick" during the past regime and the ruling Awami League government had set up a special committee to deal with them.
Peiris showed interest in sending a team to study the problems of the sick industries, BSS said, without giving details.
"Colombo is interested to invest in Bangladesh because of its easy access to the markets in the West, which can promote Sri Lankan business through Dhaka," Peiris said on arrival.
"Sri Lankan entrepreneurs can also get the benefit by setting up their units" in Bangladesh," he said.
Both countries are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which also includes Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives and Pakistan – DHAKA (AFP)
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