Message of Felicitation by Hiran Karunaratne, President of the Sri Lanka - Russia Business Council

It is with great pleasure and warmth that I pen this message on the joyous occasion of the National Day of Russia.

Russia has been a true friend of Sri Lanka during both good and difficult times and today we are happy to share the joy of the “Day of Russia”.

Sri Lanka has benefited immensely from the political support rendered by Russia at different international forums, support in the sphere of higher education by way of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and also from economic ties especially in the tea and tourism trades. Russia is the largest buyer of Ceylon Tea and ranks high among countries of origin of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka Russia Business Council was inaugurated on 9th August 2001 under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The Council plays a key role in promoting and facilitating bilateral trade and investment and further strengthening the strong relationship between the two countries. It has a membership of 50 companies from a wide range of spheres of business such as tea, leisure, oil and gas, cosmetics, IT, gems and jewelry, logistics, agriculture and many others. The Council has facilitated visits of Russian business delegations to Sri Lanka, organised a number of successful business missions to Russia, presentations and one-to-one business meetings as well as networking events enabling members to enhance their business activities.

With development opportunities opening up in Sri Lanka there is substantial interest from Russian industrialists and investors in the potential the country offers. A number of visits and meetings have been facilitated by the Council in recent months concerning opportunities in the spheres of industrial parks, nano-technology, pharmaceutical industry, power generation, prefabricated construction units and hotels.

The Sri Lanka – Russia Business Council works closely with both the Embassy of Russia in Sri Lanka and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Russia. We are grateful to both the ambassadors, His Excellency Alexander Karchava and His Excellency Udayanga Weeratunga for their unstinted support to the Council as well as their invaluable contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations. We also thank the staff of both missions and the Russian Cultural Center in Colombo for all the support.

On behalf of the Sri Lanka - Russia Business Council and on my own behalf I extend warmest Greetings and Felicitations to the Government and the People of Russia on the occasion of the Russian National Day. Hiran Karunaratne President Sri Lanka - Russia Business Council