The Ist. Forum "Russia - Sri Lanka" was held, organized by the MCCI Committee on Women Entrepreneurs, the Russian Association of International Cooperation (RAIC), the Friendship Society "Russia - Sri Lanka" and the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The event was held in a mixed format at the venues of the MCCI, RAMS and the International Chamber of Commerce (Colombo, Sri Lanka). The delegation of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka welcomed the participants of the Forum, noting that an important aspect of it was the development of cooperation in consigned areas. Mr. Vladimir Polozkov, the Secretary General of RAMS briefed the audience on the program of the delegation, noting the active work on the establishment of business contacts and visits to enterprises in Sri Lanka, as well as announcing the holding of meetings at high governmental level.
Mr. Peter Ryzhkov, the Chairman of the Board of the Russia-Sri Lanka Friendship Society, described the potential of Sri Lanka not only as a tourist destination but also as a serious business partner of the Russian Federation. In particular, he noted that the low cost of production in this country makes its products competitive all over the world. "I am sure that Russian and Sri Lankan businessmen will find grounds for mutual understanding and it will be beneficial for the people of both countries," the speaker emphasized.
The Vice-President of the MCCI, Mr. Suren Vardanyan, made a welcoming speech. He reminded that the MCCI has longstanding and close contacts with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation and Sri Lankan companies operating in the Russian market. Further, the speaker pointed out the necessity of establishing closer business ties between the two countries in the current circumstances, primarily in such areas as logistics, pharmaceuticals, development of energy installations related to ocean energy, tourism, agro-industry, digital economy, ecology and waste recycling.
"We welcome interaction, the formation of reciprocal business missions, the search for reliable partners and cooperation in construction of new facilities in Sri Lanka," said Mr. Vardanyan.
The President of the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Endoni Shanil Fernando, welcomed the participants of the Forum. He spoke about the need to strengthen regional cooperation and also touched upon the topical issue of Sri Lanka's refusal to accept "MIR" cards, explaining that this decision was due to technical difficulties. He assured that Sri Lanka is ready to provide all comforts for Russian tourists and opportunities for Russian businessmen. According to him, there are several options for settlements between legal entities as well as for the use of credit cards by Russian tourists in Sri Lanka.
The moderator of the event - the Deputy Chairman of the the MCCI Committee on Women Entrepreneurs, Director of the Interregional Association of Women's Business for Moscow and entrepreneur in the field of international cooperation, Ms. Oksana Dutova, spoke about the experience of working with Sri Lanka and auspicious opportunities that are present there. Unfortunately, it is not without barriers: - for example, they exist in the field of banking operations, as well as in the investment sector, reminded the speaker and proposed that the parties establish a joint working group to discuss and implement strategies in the above areas.
Ms. Olga Khodakovskaya, the President of the Interregional Association of Women's Businesses, told the participants of the Forum about the activities of the Association, noting its growing international activity. According to the speaker, members of the Association - business owners from 46 regions of the Russian Federation - are ready to supply and purchase products from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) partners.
The President of the Siberian Association for International Cooperation, Mr. Pavel Ostroverkhov, made a presentation of the Siberian region to the participants of the event. He noted that the region is a large industrial, scientific, transportational and logistic center of Russia, and presented potential areas of cooperation with Sri Lanka in medicine, science and industrial technologies. One of the most attractive ones could be technologies of waste processing in rice production, construction of hatchery fish farms, production of bio-fertilisers for agriculture, etc.
Mr. Sanjaya Jayaratne, Director of Navesta Pharmaceuticals, speaking to the Forum participants, declared his intention to actively enter the Russian market. The company will take part in the upcoming exhibition "Pharmacy-2022". A number of meetings and negotiations with potential distributors and partners are already planned under the aegis of RAMS.
Mr. Anatoly Kazachkov, a representative of RAMS, spoke in detail on the topic of medicine and pharmaceuticals. He described the latest Russian developments in the treatment of oncology, diabetes, covid and life extension in general. "I believe that there are great prospects for effective interaction with pharmaceutical companies in Sri Lanka," - said the speaker.
At the end of the Forum, it was decided to prepare a resolution, indicating the directions of further activities and appointing those responsible for the implementation of the agreements reached.
The event was supported by the Moscow Government and the Department of Economic Policy and Development of Moscow