Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage met with Governor of Nizhniy Novgorod Mr. Gleb Nikitin within the framework of the International Forum "SO.KNOWLEDGE" in Nizhny Novgorod.
During the working meeting held on December 5, 2023 Ambassador Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage and Governor Gleb Nikitin discussed the promising opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in tourism, trade, economic and education sectors.

The meeting was also attended by Mr. Yuri Ilyin, Deputy Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Ms. Olga Guseva, Minister of International and Interregional Relations of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Ms. Ekaterina Lebedeva, Minister of Personnel Policy, and Anna Chernova, Third Secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry's representative office in Nizhny Novgorod.
Ambassador Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage emphasized that Sri Lanka is interested in continuing cooperation with the Nizhny Novgorod region. The Head of Sri Lanka Mission underlined that during her first visits she was focused on promoting tourism, trade and economic activities, but she also managed to visit educational institutions. Thus, the Embassy has already facilitated discussions between the universities in Sri Lanka and Nizhniy Novgorod.
The Governor Mr. Gleb Nikitin stressed that participation of Sri Lankan representatives in Nizhny Novgorod events allowed them to find additional points of contact. He expressed his hope for further development and implementation of new and interesting projects. Both sides expressed readiness to consider options for expanding trade and economic cooperation.
In addition, the Governor introduced a project, which is being implemented within the framework of the national project "Science and Universities" to create an IT-campus "Neimark" in Nizhniy Novgorod region and invited Sri Lankan students to become part of it.
The working meeting was followed by a Plenary Session on ESG- projects with the participation of high-ranking officials including Ms. Viktoriya Abramchenko, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government, Governors of Nizhniy Novgorod and Samara regions, officials from Presidential Administration.
H.E. the Ambassador Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage was one of the key speakers and delivered a presentation promoting ecotourism in Sri Lanka demonstrating the country's experience and achievements in sustainable tourism.