Ambassador Mendis meets with the new Deputy Chief of Mission of Netherlands to Sri Lanka

Mr Iwan Rutjens, Senior Foreign Service Officer of the Foreign Service of the Kingdom of Netherlands based in the Embassy of Netherlands in Hanoi since the year 2019 is scheduled to be transferred to Colombo as the Deputy Chief of Mission/ Deputy Ambassador of Netherlands in Sri Lanka. Mr Rutjens called on Ambassador Mendis at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Hanoi to discuss mutually beneficial economic, commercial, investment, service, touristic and cultural issues, amongst others, since he would be assuming office in Colombo in the beginning of August 2023. Minister Counsellor Mahesh Premathilake too was associated with Ambassador Mendis during the 60-minute discussion. Mr Rutjens, currently is the Head of the entire Economic Division of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Hanoi and has had postings in Romania and Germany and he is specialized on Environmental and Administrative Law as well as Economics. Both Mendis and Rutjens discussed strategies and opportunities to increase, particularly, bilateral trade between the two countries focusing on exports from Sri Lanka to the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Netherlands is one of the most advanced nations not only in Europe but in the entire world with a combined GDP of USD 1,1 trillion. This is one of the three countries having a bilateral trade larger than the GDP. Last year, the bilateral trade of the Kingdom of Netherlands was USD 1,3 trillion and the exports were over 80% of the GDP, in other words USD 840 billion. The other two countries having a bilateral trade larger than the GDP are Viet Nam and Singapore. The Netherlands is a highly advanced economy and some of the largest global companies are based in the Netherlands such as Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever, and Phillips, to name a few. The Netherlands is also one of the significant investors in Sri Lanka in a number of commercial and economic spheres.