The Russian government approved a request by the Sri Lankan authorities for help with the supply of oil products, the Minister of Energy of Sri Lanka, Kanchana Wijesekera, said on the sidelines of the international oil and gas exhibition ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi.
"We asked the Russian government for help [to ensure] energy security of Sri Lanka. They gave a positive answer," the minister said, adding that Colombo is now waiting for the direct deliveries of oil products.
According to Wijesekera, Sri Lanka buys oil and oil products from Russia through international traders, including those in Dubai and Singapore.
"If we can afford it, we will continue to buy some types of oil from Russia," he concluded.
Earlier, it was reported that more than half of Sri Lanka's oil imports, where fuel has actually run out because of the financial crisis, have been covered by supplies from Russia in recent months. As such, data from analytic firms suggests that since May, Colombo has imported 2.6Mln barrels of Russian oil, which is at least 60 percent of the total volume of hydrocarbons imported into the country.
The island is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, caused by a reduction in tourism because of the pandemic. That caused a shortage of foreign exchange reserves, forcing the authorities to introduce austerity and reduce imports.