Sri Lanka is currently in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades. The heavily indebted island state has no money to import important goods such as medicines and fuel. Private individuals are currently not allowed to buy petrol or diesel. The country’s president now hopes for help from Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.
Sri Lanka’s head of state Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Wednesday he had asked Putin to help import fuel in a “very productive” phone call. He hopes for loans from Russia to meet “current economic challenges,” Rajapaksa wrote on Twitter.
Hoping for tourists
He agreed with Putin that they wanted to strengthen bilateral relations in areas such as tourism, trade and culture, he emphasized. In order to earn more foreign exchange and use it to buy necessary goods, Sri Lanka is trying to attract more tourists to the country. The Ministry of Tourism hopes for a total of one million holidaymakers this year. However, some countries – including Austria – advise their citizens against making unnecessary trips to the island state.
With fuel and diesel running low, Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide school closure and asked public sector workers to work from home. The island south of India has already bought oil from Russia to bridge the crisis. The government had previously indicated its intention to make further purchases.
India buys Russian oil en masse
While Western states no longer want to depend on Russian energy resources because of the war of aggression against Ukraine, other countries are turning all the more to the state of Putin. Sri Lanka’s neighboring country, India, has also significantly increased imports of Russian oil in recent weeks. In June, up to 1.2 million barrels of Russian crude oil were said to have gone to India every day. That’s about 50 times the amount India bought from Ukraine before the war.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
