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Sirisena urges Putin to reconsider Aeroflot’s flight cancellation

07 Jun 2022

BY Dinitha Rathnayake  Former President and incumbent Government “independent” MP Maithripala Sirisena has urged President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to reconsider the suspension of Aeroflot flights to Sri Lanka in light of the current situation, and to continue to support Sri Lanka, as Russia always has. Sending a letter in this regard on Sunday (6), he stated: “The people of our two nations enjoy a friendship that goes back many decades, one that has weathered many geopolitical storms. Our friendship is one of mutual respect and not one based on transactional benefits. Sri Lanka will remember the help and support of your nation during the 30-year civil war; help that came with no expectation and obligation. We appreciate this gesture, amongst many others.”  He added that the recent incident involving an Aeroflot flight being grounded in Sri Lanka following the issuance of an enjoining order by the Colombo Commercial High Court has “somewhat marred” the trust and mutual respect between the two nations and governments, and that understandably, Aeroflot has subsequently decided to suspend its flights to Colombo.  “Unfortunately, this suspension will be a devastating blow to tourism in Sri Lanka, which is only just recovering from the Easter Sunday terror attacks and Covid-19. Although I am no longer a member of the Government, it is my obligation to appeal to you and your Government to treat this issue as a wholly judicial matter and not as a decision taken by the State. As it is one that is before the Judiciary, I am assured that the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka is assessing all options to work towards the legal and amicable resolution of this. My country and the people are going through one of the worst economic crises in its post-Independence history. We are currently faced with devastating fuel shortages, power cuts, and a food crisis that looks imminent in the months to come. We, therefore, will need all the help and support from our trusted friends. And the help of Russia as one of our oldest and closest friends, will be critical to us,” the letter read. The Aeroflot airlines aircraft, which had been detained at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, departed for Moscow yesterday evening (6) following the suspension of the court order by the Colombo Commercial High Court.


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