On 31 July 2026, the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, held a virtual meeting with the Department of Commerce's Commercial Officers serving at Sri Lanka's Foreign Missions abroad to review ongoing activities and discuss strategic priorities for further strengthening the promotion of Sri Lanka's trade, investment, tourism, and skilled employment opportunities in support of the Government's economic development agenda.

Addressing the Commercial Officers of the Department of Commerce currently serving in Sri Lanka's Foreign Missions across twenty-three commercially important markets, the Minister underscored their vital role in advancing Sri Lanka's trade and broader economic interests in international markets. He emphasized the importance of delivering measurable results through market development, export promotion, investment facilitation, and stronger international business engagement. The Minister also encouraged the officers to continue aligning their activities with the National Export Development Plan (NEDP), including the target of increasing Sri Lanka's total exports to over USD 36 billion by 2030.

The Minister further emphasized the importance of mobilizing greater international participation in Sri Lanka Expo 2027, expanding market access for Sri Lankan products and services, attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), promoting Sri Lanka as a preferred tourism destination, and identifying opportunities for skilled overseas employment.

During the meeting, each Commercial Officer briefed the Minister on activities undertaken to date and outlined planned programmes for the remainder of the year to promote trade, investment, tourism, and employment opportunities in their respective countries of accreditation.

The meeting concluded with a decision to hold regular performance review meetings to monitor progress, share best practices, and further strengthen Sri Lanka's commercial engagement in international markets.

Sanjeewa Bandara, First Secretary (Commercial) of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation, participated in the First Inter-Regional Entrepreneurs' Forum organized by the Vologda Regional Chapter of OPORA RUSSIA in collaboration with the Government of the Vologda Region. The forum brought together owners and managers from the manufacturing, business support services, import and export, and tourism sectors to discuss emerging trends, strategies, and challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Russian Federation.

Addressing the forum, First Secretary highlighted the growing prospects for trade, investment, and tourism cooperation between Sri Lanka and the Vologda Region. He briefed the participants on the ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation following the visit of Ambassador Shobini Gunasekera to the Vologda Region in 2025. In particular, he highlighted the efforts to establish collaboration between the renowned traditional lace manufacturers of the Vologda Region and the lace industry of the Galle District in Sri Lanka, recognizing the shared heritage and craftsmanship of both regions.

In addition, he emphasized the untapped potential for expanding import and export trade between Sri Lanka and the Vologda Region across a range of sectors such as food and beverage, apparel, chemicals, timber and tourism. He encouraged the regional business community to explore business partnerships with Sri Lankan enterprises and extended an open invitation to participate in Sri Lanka Expo 2027, which will provide an ideal platform to identify new business opportunities, establish commercial partnerships, and strengthen economic ties between Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation.

OPORA RUSSIA serves as one of the leading national platforms for dialogue between owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises and representatives of federal executive authorities, regional and municipal governments, supervisory agencies, SME support institutions, and the expert community. The forum provided a valuable opportunity to engage directly with regional businesses and further promote Sri Lanka as a reliable trade and investment partner in the Russian market.

The event was attended by Alexey Vladimirovich Ozerov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Vologda Region, Svetlana Yurievna Pakhnina, Deputy Mayor of the City of Vologda, representatives of the regional government, heads of enterprises, and representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.