Russian warship Varyag on Friday reached the Sri Lankan port of Colombo amid surging bilateral ties between the two sovereign states.
Varyag is a Russian missile destroyer having a length of 187 meters. It is commanded by Captain 1st Rank Velichko Anatoly Vasicievich and is manned by 529 personnel of the Russian Navy.
The three-day official visit of the Russian warship is meant to promote interoperability between the two navies.
The arrival of the Russian ship in Sri Lankan waters comes only weeks after Moscow emerged as the top contender to build nuclear power plants in the South Asian nation.
"We can implement this project only if the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is signed between Sri Lanka and Russia. That is now pending," Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority (SLAEA) chief Prof. S.R.D. Rosa said in December 2023.