OREANDA-NEWS Negotiations on opening a credit line for Sri Lanka by Russia are at the final stage, the parties are discussing a way to move money, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Janita Liyanage said in an interview with RIA Novosti during the SPIEF.

"We are still at the stage of discussing the issue of opening a credit line for Sri Lanka by Russia. Now we are already at the final stage of negotiations, the issues of how the money will be transferred, how the repayment will be carried out and other issues related to the current situation are being discussed. We expect the Energy Minister to visit Russia to finalize the agreement. This is not a state credit line, but a commercial one, banks and insurance companies will be involved, this is not a state–to-state, but the Russian state has approved the loan," Liyanage said on the sidelines of the forum in St. Petersburg.

In April 2023, the Minister of Transport of Sri Lanka, Bandula Gunawardana, authorized to be responsible for other industries, during a visit to Russia, told RIA Novosti that Colombo and Moscow were continuing a dialogue on possible oil and gas purchases, the issue was on the agenda of the Ministry of Energy of the state. Before that, in February, the country's ambassador reported that Sri Lanka and Russia were continuing negotiations on a loan for the purchase of fuel, at that moment the island state was waiting for a response from the Russian Federation.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place on June 14-17. RIA Novosti is an information partner and photo-hosting agency of the forum.