Post #28448

🇷🇺🇱🇰Embassy of Russia in Sri Lanka: 🗓 On February 19, the Russian Federation and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka mark the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations — an important date symbolizing the strong friendship and mutual respect between our countries. For decades, Russian–Sri Lankan ties have developed in an atmosphere of trust, equality, and goodwill, remaining an example of constructive international cooperation. 📝 Contacts between the peoples existed long before Sri Lanka gained independence: as early as the 15th century, the island was mentioned in the memoirs of Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin. In subsequent centuries, Ceylon was visited by prominent Russian scholars, writers, and cultural figures (Anton Chekhov, Ivan Bunin, Vassily Vereshchagin), and in 1891 the future Emperor Nicholas II visited the island and planted a tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. In the second half of the 20th century, cooperation between the USSR and Sri Lanka became particularly extensive — trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural ties developed, industrial enterprises were built, transport routes were opened, and thousands of Sri Lankan specialists received education in the Soviet Union. Today, the Russian Federation, as the successor state to the USSR, continues to strengthen political dialogue and expand cooperation across various fields. 🎉 We congratulate the friendly people of Sri Lanka on this significant occasion! We wish our Sri Lankan partners and colleagues prosperity, peace, and success in all their endeavors. #RussiaSriLanka