President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Russia to attend the 15th International Economic Forum which will be held from June 16 to 18, in St. Petersburg, early this morning.
Director General of Presidents Media Bandula Jayasekara said Sri Lanka has been invited as an observer.
The forum, held annually with the support and participation of the Russian President, brings together politicians, corporate heads and economic experts to outline their approach on key issues affecting the global economy. Apart from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the other heads of nations who are expected to participate include Chinese President Hu Jintao, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
During his three-day visit he is to hold bi-lateral discussions with the world leaders on the sideline of the economic discussion Forum.
This is the first time, that President Rajapaksa visited Russia after he was awarded a Honoris Causa Doctorate by the Peoples’ Friendship University (PFU), formally known as Patricia Lumumba University of Moscow in Russia on 6th February 2010.