by Our Diplomatic Affairs Editor
In a press briefing held yesterday, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Levan S. Dzhagaryan, expressed his support for Sri Lanka to explore nuclear power as a potential solution to its ongoing energy crisis. The Ambassador stated that despite previous discussions surrounding the development of a nuclear power project in Sri Lanka, there has been little progress or attention from local authorities.
“Although the idea of nuclear power for Sri Lanka remains on the table, there has been no significant movement in discussions,” said Ambassador Dzhagaryan. He went on to compare Sri Lanka’s stance with other countries, such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, which have successfully initiated nuclear power projects with Russia’s assistance. “We are currently in discussions with Myanmar to establish a nuclear power plant there to address their energy needs,” Dzhagaryan added.
The Ambassador highlighted that nuclear power could provide a stable and sustainable energy source for Sri Lanka. While he acknowledged the value of renewable energy, he emphasized that climate change and other environmental challenges could pose significant obstacles to fully relying on these sources in the future. “Nuclear power is a potential solution to the energy crisis, especially when compared to the challenges renewable energy might face due to changing global conditions,” he explained.
Regarding Sri Lanka’s bid for membership in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) group, Ambassador Dzhagaryan confirmed that discussions are still ongoing. He recalled that President Putin had extended an invitation to President Dissanayake to visit Russia and attend the BRICS summit. However, due to political reasons, the visit did not take place, and the Sri Lankan government was instead represented by then the Secretary to the Foreign Ministry.
The Ambassador also took the opportunity to praise Sri Lanka’s neutral stance on the conflict in Ukraine. “Russia deeply appreciates Sri Lanka’s position of maintaining a balanced and non-aligned foreign policy,” Dzhagaryan said. This acknowledgment comes as Russia marks the third anniversary of its military operations in Ukraine, an ongoing topic that was also covered in yesterday’s edition of local news.
Meanwhile, after years of consultation, the Sri Lanka Police Academy is finally set to launch a Russian language training course for police officers next week. The course will be conducted by the Russian Cultural Centre in Colombo.
