DELHI. Oct 1 (Interfax) - Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Russian Ambassador to the country Levan Dzhagaryan said at a meeting on Tuesday that their countries remain committed to advancing their cooperation in trade, culture and education.
"Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to improving diplomatic ties while increasing cooperation in key areas such as trade, investment, culture, and education, emphasizing the importance of development in these sectors," Dissanayake said in a statement on social media.
Dzhagaryan congratulated the new Sri Lankan government on taking office and "conveyed a personal message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed hope for the continued strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries," Dissanayake said.
Dissanayake, who represented an alliance of left-wing parties at the elections, was sworn into office last week.
The second round of Sri Lanka's presidential elections took place on September 21. Leader of the National People's Power coalition and the Marxist-leaning People's Liberation Front party Dissanayake won more than 5.7 million votes in it.
His rival in the second round, leader of the opposition centrist United People's Power coalition Sajith Premadasa, received over 4.5 million votes.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was Sri Lanka's president from 2022 to 2024, sought reelection to a second term in office as an independent candidate, but quit the race after the first round.
In 2022, Sri Lanka encountered large-scale financial and economic problems and shortages of food, fuel and medications, sparking mass protests and prompting then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign and flee the country.