On August 18, 2020 H. E. Prof. M. D. Lamawansa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to Russia, held discussions with Mr. Vladimir M. Platonov, President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the prospects of cooperation between Sri Lanka and the city of Moscow as well as other Russian regions.

The online meeting was also attended by Mr. Suren O. Vardanyan, Vice President of the Chamber in charge of international and interregional relations, congress and exhibition activities, Ms. Elena A. Snegova, Chief Specialist of the International and Interregional Cooperation Department of the Chamber. The Embassy was also represented by Mr. Mohamed Anas, Deputy Chief of Mission/Head of Chancery, Ms. Chathurika Perera, Second Secretary (Commercial), as well as Ms. Olesya Romanova, Personal Assistant to H. E. the Ambassador, Ms. Maria Selikhova, Assistant to the Commercial Section of the Embassy, and Ms. Anastasia Kovalenko, Assistant to the Tea Promotion Unit.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Vladimir M. Platonov thanked the Embassy for the initiative of organizing the online meeting and briefly described the directions, which the Chamber pursues in its activities, mainly focusing on facilitation of business operations of local entrepreneurs.
In turn, His Excellency Prof. M. D. Lamawansa underscored the importance of support of entrepreneurship, especially in the post-COVID-19 period, and highlighted the commitment of the Embassy towards the increase in total trade turnover between Sri Lanka and Russia.
During the discussions, a presentation was shown by the Embassy in relation to opportunities for expansion of the Sri Lankan – Russian cooperation in the areas of trade, investments, and tourism.
The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry assured the Embassy of its support in increasing informational awareness of the possibilities of working with the Sri Lankan commercial sector among Russian importers and entrepreneurs. The Chamber also expressed interest in establishing direct cooperation with its counterpart in Sri Lanka and noted the significance of linking Sri Lankan and Russian enterprises on the B2B level through online conferences, exhibitions, and other events.
The parties identified the areas of potential collaboration, particularly the pharmaceuticals and medical industry, technologies in the agricultural sector, tourism, and cultural affairs.