During his visit to Sri Lanka by Sergio Gor, the United States Ambassador to India and a special envoy of President Trump, and his inspection tour of the Port of Colombo became a major topic of discussion within Colombo’s diplomatic circles at the time. Following Gor’s visit, the next high-profile inspection tour of the Colombo Port was carried out by Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). During his recent visit to Sri Lanka, he met Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. At the meeting, the Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of deepening ties between Sri Lanka and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. During the visit, when the SCO Secretary-General met the Ports Minister, he stated that the organization viewed Sri Lanka as an important partner in developing transport connectivity and Eurasian supply chains.
The SCO Secretary-General’s visit comes at a time when relations between Sri Lanka and Russia are moving into a new phase. Following Sri Lanka’s expression of interest in purchasing oil from Russia, both the Russian Deputy Energy Minister and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister visited Sri Lanka. Subsequently, Russia’s Health Minister also visited the country.
Amid these developments, Minister Bimal Rathnayake, who heads the JVP’s international affairs division, visited Russia in April. His visit came after the visit of the Russian Deputy Energy Minister to Sri Lanka. Later, in May, Bimal represented Sri Lanka at Russia’s International Economic Forum. There too, emphasis was placed on the importance of international transport, trade, maritime affairs, and regional security.
These growing Sri Lanka–Russia ties are taking shape after the Anura administration cancelled a proposal by an Indo-Russian joint venture to lease the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota following its rise to power. The project was reportedly scrapped under American pressure. In response, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka openly expressed displeasure over the decision.
Against the backdrop of these expanding Sri Lanka–Russia relations, Energy Minister Anura Karunatilaka told Reuters on Monday that Sri Lanka hopes to purchase oil from both Russia and China. He further stated that positive discussions are already underway. According to him, Sri Lanka plans initially to procure two oil shipments each from the two countries and continue the arrangement thereafter.
However, it remains unclear how the United States and India view Sri Lanka’s move to purchase oil from Russia and China.
