Sri Lanka asks Vladimir Putin for fuel and tourists

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Meanwhile, everyday life in Sri Lanka: Seemingly endless queues in front of gas stations

Photo: CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE / EPA

In view of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has turned to Russia.

Rajapaksa said on Wednesday that he had "humbly" asked President Vladimir Putin for fuel and the resumption of tourist flights between Moscow and Colombo.

"We agreed that strengthening bilateral ties in areas such as tourism, trade and culture is paramount in strengthening the friendship between our two nations."

Sri Lanka bought around 90,000 tons of Siberian oil in May, but then ran out of money to finance follow-up contracts.

Rajapaksa now asked Putin for deliveries on credit.

Russian airline Aeroflot suspended its flights to Colombo last month after a court in Sri Lanka temporarily detained an Aeroflot plane over a disagreement over payments.

Sri Lanka is currently caught in a devastating financial crisis.

The government is unable to finance essential imports such as food, fuel and medicines.

Fuel is almost gone and non-essential services have been shut down to conserve fuel.

Worst economic crisis since independence from Great Britain

An important reason for the worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka since independence from Great Britain was the lack of tourists as a result of the corona pandemic.

In addition, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians and Russians were among the most frequent visitors to the island nation.

European countries, Australia and the USA are now explicitly advising their citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka.

As a result, Sri Lanka says it is insolvent and will have to contend with an unprecedented economic crisis by the end of next year.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in parliament on Tuesday that the once prosperous country will slide into a deep recession this year and will continue to be short of food, fuel and medicines.

“We will still have difficulties in 2023,” he said.

"That's the reality."

The country is currently negotiating an aid package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Wickremesinghe said.

The success of the negotiations depends on whether a debt restructuring plan with which the IMF agrees can be concluded with the creditors by August.

"We are now negotiating as a bankrupt country," added the Prime Minister.

The IMF said last week that Sri Lanka must do more to put its finances in order and fix the budget deficit before an aid package can be launched.

In addition, it must fight corruption more vigorously and abolish expensive energy subsidies that have long weighed on the national budget.

Just hours after Wickremesinghe's comments, the influential Catholic Church in Sri Lanka called for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take responsibility for the crisis and resign.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said his retention of power was "the greatest obstacle to the liberation of the country."

dop/AFP