From 26 to 28 March 2024 Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia, payed a visit to Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, to participate in an extensive programme organized by the Chuvash State Pedagogical University named after UI. Y. Yakovlev (ChSPU).

The Chuvash State Pedagogical University and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Russia, together with the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of Russia in Sri Lanka and the Russian House in Colombo achieved remarkable success in establishing strong links between the ChSPU and multiple Sri Lankan institutions: the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine (GWUIM), the University of Vavuniya, the South Eastern University, the Helena Wijayawardhana Balika Vidyalaya, the Homagama Mahinda Rajapaksa College and others.
Within 2023, the ChSPU opened two Russian Language Centers in the GWUIM and the University of Vavuniya, conducted offline and online Russian language courses to more than 150 Sri Lankan students and commenced research on education in the field of the Russian language in Sri Lanka.
Following the development of these initiatives, the ChSPU proposed to establish a Sri Lankan Center on the platform of the University. The Center will contribute to strengthening of Sri Lanka – Russia relationship, disseminating knowledge about Sri Lanka among Russian and foreign students, connecting Sri Lankan students learning Russian language to their Russian counterparts, etc.
The Opening Ceremony was graced by Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage, who donated a number of cultural items to the collection of the Center and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Administration and staff of the ChSPU, who show sincere interest and dedication to the development of educational links between the two countries on several levels: school, university and research. In the course of the Ceremony Sri Lankan and Russian students of the University performed traditional Sri Lankan and Russian dances and songs in Sinhala, Russian and Chuvash languages.
Following the Ceremony, a Round Table on the Development of Cooperation in the Educational and Scientific Fields was held with participation of Dr. Igor Kozhanov, Rector of the ChSPU, Dr. Vladimir Ivanov, Vice Rector for Scientific and Innovative Work, and other staff of the University, including the teachers who conducted the Russian language courses for students in Sri Lanka. The special guests of the Round Table were H. E. Janitha A. Liyanage, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia, H. E. Levan Jagaryan, Ambassador of Russia to Sri Lanka, Ms. Maria Popova, Head of the Russian House in Colombo, Mr. Alexander Pogodeikin, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cheboksary, Ms. Elena Gulyaeva, Head of the Department for Cooperation with the States of the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific Region of the Department for International Cooperation and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, Dr. Ranjana Seneviratne, Vice Chancellor of the GWUIM and Dr. Asanka Pallewatta, Director of the Gampaha Wickramarachchi International Center.
In the course of the discussion, Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage expressed her gratitude to the Administration of the ChSPU, which is implementing the invaluable job of binding Sri Lanka and Russia through language, culture, education and research and giving priceless opportunities to Sri Lankan students. Dr. Kozhanov, in his turn, assured the audience that in 2024, with the support of the Ministry of Education of Russia, the ChSPU is planning to implement two new projects related to scientific and educational cooperation with educational organizations in Sri Lanka.