President leaves for Russia

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Russia early today morning to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to which Sri Lanka has been invited as an observer.

The forum, held annually with the support and participation of the Russian President, brings together politicians, corporate heads and economic experts to outline their approach on key issues affecting the global economy. Apart from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the other heads of nations who are expected to participate include Chinese President Hu Jintao, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to the official website of the forum.