Only India assisted Sri Lanka with fuel

Colombo: Sri Lankan Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that they had appealed other nations to assist with fuels. But to date, only India has come forward to make loans available to Sri Lanka for fuel purchases. India has assured all the possible assistance to Sri Lanka, grappling with the crisis, to bring the country to its original condition from a democracy, stability and economic point of view.

Although the intensity of protests has reduced following President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, the country’s situation has not improved. Food security of nearly 28% of the Sri Lankan population, amounting to 6 million people, is under threat, per a warning issued by the United Nations. Shortage of food, medicines, cooking gas and fuels is threatening the lives of the Sri Lankan population. In this scenario, Sri Lanka is frantically seeking assistance from other countries.

Against this background, Sri Lankan Electricity and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera expressed his expectations. Sri Lanka is demanding assistance from other countries to fulfil the fuel shortage. Wijesekera said that only India has come forward to assist us on this front and offer a loan to Sri Lanka. Wijesekera said that talks were being held with Russia and other countries regarding fuels.

Meanwhile, Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner at the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka, assured that India would provide all possible assistance to Sri Lanka to bring the country back to normal on the democracy, stability and economic fronts. The Indian High Commissioner gave this assurance during his meeting with Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament. The Indian foreign ministry has assured Sri Lanka will receive all the assistance. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India would assist Sri Lanka under the ‘Neighbourhood First’ principle.

Accusations are intensifying that the current Sri Lankan condition results from Chinese loans. Former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and their families, who implemented incorrect economic policies and accepted these loans from China, have become a topic of hatred for the Sri Lankan population. In this scenario, Ranil Wickramasinghe has taken over as the interim President. Names of Sajid Premadasa, Anurag Kumara Disanayake and Dulas Alahperuma also are featuring in the race for President of Sri Lanka.