NEW DELHI, April 2. /TASS/. Sri Lanka and Russia must build energy cooperation on a solid legal and economic foundation, not limited by the framework imposed by Washington, Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.

"Real business may follow tourists here – not only in trade, but also in investment in technological services. However, for this we need to get to know each other better now: we should not limit our communication or confine cooperation in the energy sector to the framework allowed by the United States, but instead build it on a solid legal and economic foundation," he said at a roundtable organized by the Pathfinder Foundation research center in Colombo.

Responding to a question about the recent visit of Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin to Colombo, he noted that Sri Lanka is not the only country interested in purchasing Russian oil. According to him, Sri Lanka’s request is currently under consideration.

"We will review these requests provided that we have sufficient resources to increase oil supply volumes. However, if it comes to signing a long-term contract, this would allow us to view the entire situation in a completely different way than we do now," he said.

"The recent visit of Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin showed that agreements will be reached. We hope that positive results will be achieved following this visit with regard to energy supplies from Russia," Rudenko concluded.

In mid-March, Sri Lanka asked Russia to consider energy supplies to the republic amid the global energy crisis caused by the escalation in the Middle East. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake previously noted that tensions in the region amid the US and Israeli military operation against Iran would have a serious impact on the country's energy sector and could lead to a reduction in supplies of fuel, gas, and coal.