Dinesh praises Russia’s assistance in accessing Sputnik V

COLOMBO: Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his deep appreciation for the support extended by Russia towards Sri Lanka in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister Gunawardena welcomed Russia’s assistance in accessing the Sputnik V vaccine to support Sri Lanka’s nationwide inoculation program, as well as ongoing cooperation between the relevant institutes of epidemiology and biotechnology in producing the vaccine.

Minister Gunawardena also reiterated Sri Lanka’s appreciation to Russia for the support extended to Sri Lanka in multilateral forums, including in the UN 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.