Sri Lanka, Russia hold talks to expand trade, energy and tourism ties

Sri Lanka and Russia agreed to deepen ties in trade, energy, tourism, education and investment at the 11th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations held in Colombo on April 2, 2026.

The talks took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism of Sri Lanka. Both sides reviewed the wide range of relations between the two countries and discussed future steps to further expand and strengthen the partnership.

The discussions focused on closer cooperation in tourism, education, defence, technical cooperation, trade and investment, as well as sports and cultural activities. As part of the continuing dialogue with the Russian Government, both sides also discussed ways to improve cooperation in energy, petroleum, coal and fertilizer.

Sri Lanka and Russia also agreed to set a benchmark to increase bilateral trade and raise economic engagement between the two countries. The issue of Sri Lankan ex-servicemen serving in the Russian military was also discussed during the consultations.

Recalling the long-standing partnership between the two nations, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to work together on matters of mutual interest in multilateral forums.

With the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Russia falling in 2027, the two sides agreed to mark the occasion in a fitting manner through a series of planned activities, including high-level visits.

During the visit, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko also met Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath. At that meeting, both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the long-standing relations between Sri Lanka and Russia.

The consultations were co-chaired by Aruni Ranaraja, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism of Sri Lanka, and Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Senior officials from the two foreign ministries and senior representatives from several key Sri Lankan agencies also attended the meeting.

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