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Sunny Side Up: Putin sends emissary to Colombo

27 Nov 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week sent his Security Council Chief Nikolai Patrushev as an emissary to Sri Lanka. “On 22 November, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev will visit Sri Lanka,” the press service said prior to the visit. “Patrushev will hold Russia-Sri Lanka consultations on security issues,” the press service further stated. “The main directions of interaction in the political, trade, economic, and energy spheres, as well as the prospects for co-operation in the field of security have been outlined,” the message added. Patrushev met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (22). Patrushev had called Sri Lanka Russia’s long-standing partner in South Asia, stressing that relations between the two countries are traditionally built on the principles of equality, trust, and mutual respect, the press service noted. President Rajapaksa, meanwhile, had said that Patrushev’s visit would further strengthen the ties between the two countries. Sri Lanka had also expressed interest in expanding its export product range under the Russian GSP scheme. The President had invited Russian investors to invest in the Colombo Port City, and in the energy, pharmaceutical, ICT, agriculture, infrastructure, oil and gas exploration, and logistics sectors. President Rajapaksa had commended Russia’s role as a Permanent Member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council in promoting the interests and concerns of developing countries in the areas of peace and security, and had expressed gratitude for Russia’s strong support to Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions.


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