Harini Amarsurya told RT India that the island nation believes it can boost its economy by joining the bloc.
Sri Lanka sees potential BRICS membership as strategically attractive, Prime Minister Harini Amarsurya told RT India in an exclusive interview.
Amarsurya said in an interview aired on Thursday that the island nation, which is recovering from an economic and humanitarian crisis that plunged the nation into chaos in 2022, sees the bloc as a platform to boost its economic growth.
“We are a small country. If we want to meet the goals we have set for ourselves in terms of economic growth, we need to expand our markets.” she said.
“We (Sri Lanka) need to grow beyond our borders” Amarsurya added. “For that, we need strong collaboration, stability in the region, cooperation in the region.”
PM said that BRICS is part of Sri Lanka “Strategy for Strengthening Regional and Global Partnerships” Adding that “Our foreign policy in general is one of collaboration, multilateralism and strong cooperation globally and especially regionally.”
India has assumed the BRICS chairmanship in 2026 amid widespread global geopolitical interventions by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
When asked if Sri Lanka is interested in buying Russian crude oil, he said. “All of these discussions are at a preliminary stage. We have not set any deadlines or timelines for any of this.”
“Every country has the freedom and right to make sovereign decisions regarding its energy policy and requirements. Sri Lanka will also seek the best options available to its people.” Amarsurya added.
Sri Lanka’s economic and humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the island nation has been battered by the loss of tourism revenue.
Its economic crisis peaked in 2022, as severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine sparked massive protests that ousted the government.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $2.9 billion four-year bailout program for the country in 2023. The IMF said in March last year that Sri Lanka had made a significant recovery from the crisis.
Amarsurya’s comments on the nation’s economic revival and proposed joining BRICS came amid panic over petrol and diesel purchases in the island nation following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
The country’s tourism industry, a major revenue earner, has been hit by the cancellation of flights from the Middle East. The sinking of an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday is likely to further affect its tourism sector.
