Русский
Sri Lanka intends to formally seek membership of the BRICS group of nations, Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage, the country’s ambassador to Russia announced today (April 24). She confirmed that “Sri Lanka is planning to join BRICS+” and expressed hope that accession would provide “an opportunity to ensure both transport and food security.”
The BRICS group of non-Western economies – which previously comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – has recently seen a major wave of expansion. Earlier this year, four nations – Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the UAE – became members, with Saudi Arabia pending. More are expected in the future, including Colombia, Venezuela, Thailand, Cuba, Senegal, Nigeria, Bahrain, Belarus and Pakistan.
Liyanage also announced that the visa scheme under which tourists from Russia can receive visas free of charge to visit Sri Lanka could be extended beyond April 30. Initially, their validity was set to expire on March 31, but this has been prolonged for another month.
“The issue is now being considered, perhaps there will be a further extension,” Liyanage said, noting that last winter several new direct flight routes were established between Russia and Sri Lanka, boosting tourism to the island nation.
Liyanage also announced that Sri Lanka plans to open three new Russian language centers, in cooperation with Russian universities. She explained that such centers are already functioning, and that 138 people have graduated from Russian language courses.
According to the Ambassador, there are currently about 1,000 Sri Lankan students studying at Russian universities and looking for employment. She explained that the Sri Lankan hospitality sector is actively developing, and that the importance of learning Russian has grown due to the influx of Russian travellers – who now represent the largest inbound tourist flows to the island.
She noted that the Russian language is popular in Sri Lanka because “relations between the countries go back many years and they have always been warm and friendly.” The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, is fluent in Sinhalese and began his diplomatic career at the Russian Embassy in Colombo.
Sri Lanka is strategically positioned in the Indian Ocean with China a major investor in numerous Belt and Road Initiative projects including two sea ports, an airport, in addition to road and rail infrastructure.
Further Reading
Russia-Sri Lanka Trade & Development
We discuss Russia-Sri Lanka trade and development in our 2024 Russia’s Pivot To Asia guide. It is a complimentary download and can be accessed in English here and Russian here.
