Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today urged the Indian business community to explore abundant opportunities in infrastructure, agri-business and services sectors in the post-conflict era.<br/> Addressing the Business Forum organised jointly by the Indian and Sri Lankan Chambers of Commerce here to coincide with the IIFA Awards Weekend Mr. Rajapaksa said that the new areas and sectors have opened out since the end of the conflict in May last year and local and foreign investors would find very attractive and interesting.<br/> He told the delegates gathered on the occasion that his Government strongly believed that to bring permanent peace there must be development. <br/> On Indo-Lanka ties he said that the relationship between Sri Lanka and India has been anchored in a rich heritage and is irreversible. ‘We are now adding new spice to our relations with India and the world, with new and varied business opportunities’.<br/> Also speaking on the occasion , the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha said that unburdened by the distractions of war, Sri Lanka can now expect to unleash its full potential and work actively towards encashing the peace dividend. <br/> In the India-Sri Lanka context, these developments allow us the possibility to further strengthen and deepen our bonds of friendship and to develop a more intensive and mutually rewarding partnership. <br/> Mr. Kantha further said that what is required is a new vision for India-Sri Lanka economic engagement where the two governments should play the role of facilitators strengthening the existing mechanisms and create new ones that provide the necessary framework for a closer economic partnership. <br/> The High Commissioner said that there great potential for growth through bilateral cooperation is tourism and India has emerged as the largest source of tourist arrivals into <br/> Former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said the geographical ties between the two countries should be binding rather than dividing. ‘Apart from terrorism, we need to fight the terror of unemployment, poverty, climate change together,’ he said.<br/> Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson of the FICCI Tourism Council said tourism sector which includes cross exchanges between Buddhist centers and the Ramayana trail in the two countries can be a huge draw.<br/>