Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 29: With the West Asia conflict causing disruptions to the global oil and gas supply, India has stepped in as part of its “neighbourhood first policy” to supply 38,000 tonnes of fuel to the Island nation.
The Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “swift support” in sending the oil shipment to ease the fuel supply disruptions in the Island nation caused by the West Asia conflict. A shipment of 38,000 MT of fuel, comprising 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol, arrived in Colombo on Saturday as part of an emergency support through the local operation of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Lanka IOC (LIOC).
Earlier this week, Mr Modi spoke with the Sri Lankan President regarding the energy crisis brought on by the war between US-Israel and Iran. “Spoke with PM @narendramodi a few days ago about the fuel supply disruptions Sri Lanka is facing due to the Middle East conflict. Grateful for India’s swift support. 38,000 MT of fuel arrived in Colombo yesterday. My thanks also to EAM @DrSJaishankar for his close coordination,” Dissanayake wrote on the social media platform.
Mr Modi after his talks with the Sri Lankan president had said, “We reviewed progress on key initiatives aimed at strengthening India-Sri Lanka energy cooperation and enhancing regional security. As close and trusted partners, we reaffirmed our commitment to work closely together in addressing shared challenges,” he wrote on X.
As per a statement from the Indian High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which earlier secured fuel supplies from West Asia and Singapore, has faced major disruptions due to the West Asia conflict. Suppliers with whom Sri Lanka IOC has contracts expressed their inability to deliver supplies due to the US-Iran conflict and blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Due to the above disruptions, Rescue supplies were requested from India from IOCL. The current shipment of 38,000 MT is part of these supplies. Government of India, through Lanka IOC, has extended support to Sri Lanka for maintaining continuity of fuel supply,” the statement from the High Commission added further.