Russian foreign minister to visit Sri Lanka next month

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Sri Lanka and India on January 14-15, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated during Thursday’s briefing.

"On January 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will come to Sri Lanka and India on a working visit," she noted.

According to her, on January 14, Lavrov will meet with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, also planning to hold talks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

"They plan to discuss the current state of relations between Russia and Sri Lanka, the prospects for promoting political dialogue, developing cooperation in the trade-economic, humanitarian and other spheres, as well as to discuss expanding the bilateral treaty and legal basis. Special attention will be paid to expanding cooperation within international organisations, namely within the UN and its specialised bodies," the spokeswoman said.

The diplomat noted that on January 15, Lavrov would hold talks with his Indian colleague Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi. "The foreign ministers will consider the current state and prospects of development of bilateral relations in light of the goals outlined on the outcomes of the XX Russian-Indian Summit that took place on September 4-5 in Vladivostok. They will also discuss the 2020 schedule of upcoming top-level political contacts. They plan to have comprehensive exchange of opinions on regional and international issues," she said.

Zakharova added that the Russian top diplomat also plans to take part in the Raisina Dialogue conference set to take place in the Indian capital on January 14-16. (Russian News Agency)