Sri Lanka has proposed to establish a joint working committee comprising Sri Lankan and Russian officials to address issues concerning Sri Lankans deployed in the Russian war.
The proposal was tabled when State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya met with his Russian counterpart Deputy Minister Andrey Rudenko and Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General A. V. Fomin in Russia today.
State Minister Balasuriya led a high-level delegation visiting the Russian Federation from 26 to 27 June, where the two countries agreed to engage regularly in the efforts to repatriate Sri Lankans deployed in the Russian Armed Forces on a contractual basis.
The interactions centred on the 17 Sri Lankans killed in action, payment of compensation for the deceased and the wounded, the plight of the uncontactable Sri Lankans, the possibility of voluntary returns, early termination of contracts and regularization of remuneration, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said.
The high-level delegation led by the State Minister included Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekera and Gamini Waleboda, Secretary of the Ministry of Defence General G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne, Charge d’Affaires of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Ambassador P. M. Amza, Additional Solicitor General Harippriya Jayasundara, Director General, Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sisira Senavirathne, former Ambassador Dr. Saman Weerasinghe and officials of the Sri Lankan embassy in Russia. (Newswire)