Russia and Sri Lanka today agreed to pay more attention on counter terrorism and expand bilateral trade. The two countries will expand counter terrorism cooperation through strengthened linkages between the relevant authorities in the respective countries. This was announced during a media briefing held with the participation of  Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunwardena and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "The two sides recognized  the threats posed by terrorism, violent extremism, illicit drug trafficking and other transnational crimes to national, regional and international security and agreed to continue our cooperation to pursue shared solutions and exchange best practices," Gunwardena said. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that both countries have agreed to boost trade to $700 million. He said that bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Russia stood at USD 388 million in 2018. Pictures by Lalith Perera