Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has assured Sri Lanka continued support at the United Nations (UN).
Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The telephone conversation had been initiated on Sri Lanka’s request.
The ministers discussed topics on the bilateral agenda, specifically COVID-19 response, Russia-Lanka trade, economic and military-technical cooperation, as well as humanitarian ties.
They also agreed to continue to coordinate activities at the UN and on other multilateral platforms.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said that Gunawardena had expressed his deep appreciation for the support extended by Russia towards Sri Lanka in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this regard, Foreign Minister Gunawardena welcomed Russia’s assistance in accessing the Sputnik V vaccine to support Sri Lanka’s nationwide inoculation programme, as well as ongoing cooperation between the relevant institutes of epidemiology and biotechnology in producing the vaccine.
The Foreign Minister also reiterated Sri Lanka’s appreciation to Russia for the support extended to Sri Lanka in multilateral fora, including in the Human Rights Council.
Bilateral consultations being scheduled within the framework of the two Foreign Ministries, as well as the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, were among other issues discussed. (Colombo Gazette)