March 23, 2017 marked one of the most historic moments of the whole 60 years of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Russia, as two Heads of State met at Kremlin, the heart of the Russian Federation and the residence of H. E. Vladimir Putin.

 During the first part of the meeting, H. E. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka, was accompanied by Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, and H. E. Dr. Saman Weerasinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia, whereas H. E. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, was accompanied by Hon. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and Mr. Yuri Ushakov, Aide to the President.
During the discussions the two leaders of states exchanged their ideas in the areas of trade, defence, tourism, education, fisheries and cultural ties. Furthermore, H. E. Vladimir Putin expressed the interest of Russia in assistance in the areas of energy solution, heavy machinery for construction, joint ventures with the government, and technological assistance on the areas which have special requirements.
At the official meeting the Russian President H. E. Vladimir Putin presented the Sri Lankan President H. E. Maithripala Sirisena with a special gift on the occasion of his official visit to Russia - a very rare royal sward "Kastane" of Kandy era of the XIX century.
According to Alex Freger (Tel Aviv), a high-profile Israeli expert on bladed weapons, the item subject to expertise is descending from Kandy rulers (kings) and was manufactured in Sri Lanka during the XIX century. The "Kastane" sward was auctioned at the Sotheby's Auction House on 19 December 2006 in the elite section of "Property of a Princely Family and Other Aristocratic Estates". Inherently, arm of stature with rich and sophisticated design pertinent to royal representatives is historically remarkable and is of great scientific value. Such arm is unique and such items are very rare in state and private collections in the Russian Federation.