A meeting was held between the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow and the Moscow Export Center, co-headed by Ambassador Shobini Gunasekera and Mr. Vitaly Stepanov the Chief Executive Officer of Moscow Export Center, to explore avenues for enhanced economic collaboration and trade promotion.

Discussions focused on identifying mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation, particularly in facilitating the participation of Russian enterprises in major commercial events in Sri Lanka. In this regard, the Sri Lankan side extended an invitation to the Moscow Export Center to take part in Sri Lanka Expo 2026, accompanied by a business delegation, with a view to strengthening trade linkages and fostering direct business-to-business engagements.

The meeting also highlighted Moscow’s growing importance as a dynamic hub for international trade and investment. Moscow Export Center has been recognized as an ideal launch pad for the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With more than 10,900 exporting companies registered under this organization and a diverse portfolio of 7,518 export commodity items and services. The engagement with the Moscow Export Center is expected to further facilitate Sri Lankan exporters in accessing this vast and dynamic market.

Mr. Sanjeewa Bandara, Commercial Counsellor, and Ms. Anna Makarovskaya, Commercial Assistant represented the Sri Lanka side and Mr. Vladislav Andreevich Ionkin, the Head of the International Partnerships division of the International Events Department and Mr. Pavel Sergeevich Belyaev, Chief Specialist, International Partnerships Division of the International Events Department from the Moscow Export Center side.

Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening institutional cooperation and advancing bilateral trade relations through structured engagement and participation in key trade promotion initiatives.