NEW DELHI, March 13. /TASS/. The Sri Lankan authorities, despite Western pressure, remain neutral on the Ukrainian issue, Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Levan Dzhagaryan told TASS.

"As for the conflict in Ukraine, we are pleased to see that despite Western pressure exerted on Sri Lanka, its leadership maintains a balanced and neutral position on the issue," the diplomat said.

He added that the locals understand very well that abandoning such a balanced position may negatively affect the country's relations with Russia. "And Sri Lanka appreciates and praises the long-standing friendly relations with our country," the ambassador pointed out.

Dzhagaryan recalled that since the island gained independence from the UK in 1948, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans have come to study first at Soviet and then at Russian universities. The graduates are making a huge contribution to the development of their country in many fields.