State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms – Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Minister of Industries – Wimal Weerawansa participated at the XXIV International Economic Forum held from June 2-5, 2021 at St. Petersburg in the Russian Federation.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, Prof. M. D. Lamawansa also joined the ministerial delegation at the Forum.
The Sri Lankan delegation attended several sessions of the Forum, which are relevant to the country. The Forum has provided a platform to discuss the most pressing issues facing both the Russian Federation as well as global economies, with the participation including leading Government figures; senior executives from major corporations and financial institutions; renowned experts; and pioneering entrepreneurs.
All the sessions emphasized the importance of having an open and constructive dialogue particularly during the current pandemic situation.
The Sri Lankan delegation also visited the exhibition area of the forum which presented pavilions by over 100 Russian companies and had the opportunity to interact with them and discuss possibilities for future collaborations.
During the forum, two Ministers and the Ambassador received the invitation to participate in the panel discussion which was attended by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
During his speech, the President emphasized the importance of establishing equal, constructive partnerships between members of the global community and expanding business ties on a number of levels to effectively tackle today’s critical global challenges and achieving sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Sri Lankan delegation held a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian People Assembly for International Affairs of the Russian Federation Stanislav Korolev.
During the conversation, topical issues of the development of Sri Lanka – Russia relations of friendship both in the bilateral and international arena were discussed. The bilateral meeting was conducted in a highly interactive and productive manner, and the Russian side expressed its willingness to work closely with Sri Lankan authorities to strengthen the existing relations between the two countries and invited the Sri Lankan side to see the possibility of being a guest country at the 2022 Forum.
Besides the Forum, Sri Lankan delegation also had fruitful discussions with successful entrepreneurs based in St. Petersburg and Moscow on trade and investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka for Russian companies.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries of Sri Lanka – Ranjith Wimalasuriya, First Secretary (Commercial) of Sri Lanka Embassy in Russia – Thavishya Mullegamagoda, Coordinating Secretary to the Minister – Anushka Gunasinghe, Coordinating Secretary to the State Minister – Nuwan Dissanayakege, Private Secretary to the State Minister – D. Amarasinghe and Personal Assistant to the Ambassador – Olessya Romanova also joined the Sri Lankan delegation.
