Oil import: Rajapaksa calls Putin for support

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday said he had a “very productive” conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to negotiate a credit line for purchasing discounted oil from Moscow to “defeat” the worst economic challenges faced by the island nation.

During their conversation, Rajapaksa also urged Putin to restart the services of the Russian flag carrier Aeroflot to the country. Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948 and needs to obtain at least $4 billion to tide over the acute shortage in foreign exchange reserves.

“Had a very productive telecon with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. While thanking him for all the support extended by his government to overcome the challenges of the past, I requested an offer of credit support to import fuel to Lanka in defeating the current economic challenges,” President Rajapaksa said in a tweet.