Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne and President Navy Seva Vanitha Unit, Chandima Ulugetenne, who were on an official visit to Russia, attended  events to celebrate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy recently. They attended the event at the invitation of the Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov.

 The Main Parade took place in St Petersburg. Ships of the Navies of India, Pakistan and Iran, too, were present at the event, along with Navy chiefs from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil and Myanmar.

The Navy Commander also took part in a reception that was held at the official residence of the Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy in St. Petersburg to welcome the visiting Navy Chiefs and delegates who attended the event. Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Ulugetenne said that Sri Lanka believed in a collaborative and cooperative approach to deal with common maritime security challenges. Congratulating the Russian Navy on this special occasion, the Commander of the Lankan Navy expressed his heartfelt gratitude to his Russian counterpart for inviting the Sri Lanka Navy for Russia`s Navy Day.

 During the visit, Vice Admiral Ulugetenne also called on Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov and discussed several matters of bilateral importance and recalled the long-standing relationship between the two navies. The cordial discussion drew to a close with an exchange of mementoes to mark the occasion.

 On the sidelines, the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne met the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy, Admiral Karambir Singh, during a reception hosted onboard the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar,  which took part in Russia`s Navy Day parade. Vice Admiral Ulugetenne also had a frank exchange of views with Vice Admiral Sergei Yeliseyev, Deputy Commander of Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet.