Sri Lankan president calls Russian counterpart for fuel credit

COLOMBO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday telephoned Russian leader Vladimir Putin and requested for fuel credit.

Rajapaksa said he had a very productive teleconference with Putin.

During the call, Rajapaksa thanked Putin for the support extended by the Russian government to overcome the challenges of the past.

"I requested an offer of credit support to import fuel to Sri Lanka in defeating the current economic challenges," Rajapaksa said.

The Sri Lankan leader also requested his Russian counterpart to resume Aeroflot operations in Sri Lanka.

"We unanimously agreed that strengthening bilateral relations in sectors such as tourism, trade and culture was paramount in reinforcing the friendship our two nations share," he said.

Sri Lanka has been facing crippling fuel shortages and political parties have urged the president to request crude oil from Russia.