Hon. Wimal Weerawansa, Minister of Industries of Sri Lanka and Hon. Ajith Nivard Cabraal State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms of Sri Lanka participated at the XXIV International Economic Forum held from 2-5 June 2021 in St. Petersburg in Russian Federation. H.E. Prof. M.D. Lamawansa, Ambassador of Sri Lankan in the Russian Federation also joined the ministerial delegation at the Forum.

Participants from 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 on 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 H.E. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. 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 sideline of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Sri Lankan delegation held a meeting with Mr. Stanislav korolev, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian People Assembly for International Affairs of the Russian Federation. During the conversation, topical issues of the development of Sri Lanka – Russia relations of friendship both in 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 intensify the existing relations between the two countries and he invited the Sri Lankan side to see the possibility of being a guest country in 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. Mr. Ranjith Wimalasuriya, additional secretary of the ministry of industries of Sri Lanka, Ms. Thavishya Mullegamgoda, first secretary (commercial) of Sri Lanka Embassy in Russia, Mr. Anushka Gunasinghe, coordinating secretary to the Hon. Minister, Mr. Nuwan Dissanayakege, coordinating secretary to the Hon. State minister, Ms. D. Amarasinghe, private secretary to the Hon. State minister and Ms. Olessya Romanova, personal assistant to the Ambassador also joined the Sri Lankan delegation.