PM Amarasuriya Pushes for Stronger Vocational and Economic Partnerships with Germany

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya made a visit to Hamburg, Germany from 27-30 March 2025 with the focus of building vocational education and economic ties between the two nations. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and a key European Port city with a history of trade relationships dating back to Asia.

President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Prime Minister Amarasuriya were the Guests of Honour at the 102nd East Asia friendship dinner. The German Asia-Pacific Business Association annual meeting is the biggest German business association for promoting German-Asian business contacts. During her speech as the Guest of Honour before 300 guests, such as German President Steinmeier and Hamburg's Mayor and top officials from business and politics from all over Germany, Prime Minister Amarasuriya noted the great potential for increasing the economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Germany. She also reaffirmed that although experiencing a difficult economic crisis in 2022, Sri Lanka's economy has almost returned to its normalcy to a large degree within a reasonably short span.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya extended an invitation to German business firms to see the potential in Sri Lanka with the betterment of the economy, the rejuvenation of the tourism sector and policy changes under the new administration having brought forth an investment-and-business-friendly atmosphere. It was said by the Prime Minister that in excess of 160 German firms have invested and are in operation in Sri Lanka. The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) has a strong network in the country organizing numerous projects and visits. Furthermore, OAV maintains relations with the Northern Chamber of Industries (NCI) in Jaffna, as well as the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) in Colombo.

The Prime Minister said the new government is devoted to real actions in the interest of furthering national unity and reconciliation. The current Parliament is the most representative in Sri Lanka's history, with an all-time high number of women and members of various communities. The Prime Minister underlined that for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, the final results of the last Parliamentary elections represented a united and collective voice from citizens of every part of the nation and of every religion and ethnicity, in favor of change and constructive transformation.

President Steinmeier and Prime Minister Amarasuriya met on the sidelines of the 102nd East Asia friendship dinner. The Prime Minister explained the efforts of the government in stabilizing the economy as well as providing social protection to vulnerable groups. German President Steinmeier and Prime Minister Amarasuriya also talked about cooperation between the two nations in vocational education.

While she was in Hamburg, the Prime Minister, as the Minister responsible for Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, had a number of engagements that were aimed at enhancing partnerships with Germany in vocational education. During her keynote address at the opening session of the 'German-Asian Forum on Vocational Education & Training' held by the OAV and  iMOVE, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on 28 March 2025, Prime Minister Amarasuriya expressed Sri Lanka's gratitude to the charitable contributions of the German government, spanning over more than 65 years, to the growth of the vocational education sector in Sri Lanka from the inception of establishing the Sri Lanka- German Technical Training Institute at Moratuwa in 1959. 

In 2016, a second Sri Lanka – German Training Institute was opened in Kilinochchi. She said that vocational education has an important role to play in the envisioned reforms to the education process. The Prime Minister further added that Sri Lanka wishes to convert the vocational education to a new, contemporary profession which will assist the nation in producing a workforce of skilled professionals catering to the needs of industry and thus providing career opportunities for Sri Lankan youths, both domestically and overseas. Prime Minister Amarasuriya also called on ITECH, an IT vocational school, electrical, and chemical engineering vocational school, where she met with teachers and students about their experience in the German dual-education system.

The Prime Minister attended a Business Roundtable in Hamburg, where she had a discussion with the German firms and officials of government agencies on the economic vision of the government. She emphasized that the government is concerned with the stability of the economy and achieving increased economic contribution from all over the country. Digitalization was also a priority as well as the Clean Sri Lanka program. Prime Minister Amarasuriya also toured German research and technology centers in Hamburg such as NXP Semiconductors, a top global semiconductors firm; and DESY, Germany's largest particle accelerator and hub for new technology and startups. During her interactions with the institutions' senior leadership, she kept emphasizing collaborations to benefit Sri Lanka's IT and apparel sectors.

Part of Prime Minister Amarasuriya's official activities in Germany were Varuni Muthukumarana, Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Germany; Sandun Liyanwila, Counselor and Senuja Samaraweera, Counselor (Commercial) of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Berlin.