President Maithripala Sirisena who left for Russia on an official visit on the morning of March 22, reached the country’s capital Moscow.

President Sirisena and his delegation were received at the Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igor Morgulov and other high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation.

The President is being accompanied by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Ministers S. B. Navinna, Susil Premajayantha and Dayasiri Jayasekera.

The President will officially meet his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin tomorrow, March 23.

This is the first official visit by a Sri Lankan Head of State to Russia, since Prime Minister Sirimavo Badaranaike in 1974.

Several bi-lateral agreements are to be signed between the two countries in the fields of fisheries, tourism, culture, science and technology, cultural and education cooperation, during the President’s visit.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan business delegation is currently in Russia along with President Sirisena, to attend the two-day Sri Lanka – Russia Business Council scheduled to kick off in Moscow today, March 22.

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka A. Karchava, welcoming the Sri Lanka – Russia Business Delegation said he hopes that the visit will generate mutually beneficial contacts to both Sri Lanka and Russia and become the impetus for economic and trade corporation between the two countries.

Russia is a key market for Sri Lankan tea, apparel, industrial and surgical gloves, aircraft components, desiccated coconut, activated carbon, coir fiber and pneumatic and retreated rubber tyres and tubes.

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Dr. Saman Weerasinghe, identifying Russia as a major economic ally said the Sri Lankan government has always given its fullest backing for private companies to explore the Russian market.

The Sri Lanka – Russia Business Council was inaugurated in 2001 on the initiative of the then Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mikhail A. Khodorkovsky and the then Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Chandra Jayaratne.

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