Sirisena, Putin discuss strengthening bilateral relations, regional safety

President Maithripala Sirisena with Russian President Vladimir Putin

A meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and Russian President Vladimir Putin was held on Saturday in Tajikistan’s capital city, Dushanbe.

The President met with his Russian counterpart on the side-lines of the fifth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Dushanbe from 14-15 June.

During the meeting, the two leaders focused on further strengthening the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Russia, and on several important regional issues.

The US has imposed sanctions on some of the goods imported from Russia to Sri Lanka, and both leaders discussed how to proceed in the future in this regard.

"It was wonderful to catch up with my good friend and the leader of Sri Lanka's friendly nation of Russia Vladimir Putin yesterday. During our special discussion, we deliberated on important measures to curb extremism and ensure people's safety in Asia [sic]," President Sirisena said in a Tweet.

Furthermore, President Sirisena extended an invitation to the Russian President to visit Sri Lanka in the near future, the President's Media Division said.