AA / Ankara
Five Arab countries on Saturday called on their nationals in Sri Lanka to be vigilant following the violence in this South Asian country beset by economic and political crises, while others called on their citizens to leave the country. country.
This is according to several separate statements issued by the foreign ministries of Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, hours following protesters stormed the presidential palace. in the capital, Colombo, as well as the home of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, before setting it on fire.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to “postpone travel to Sri Lanka, avoid troubled areas and leave the country as soon as possible”.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, for its part, advised its citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka, calling on those who are there “to stay away from gathering places”.
Separately, the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Sri Lanka urged its nationals to “postpone travel, exercise vigilance and stay away from places of gatherings and demonstrations”.
Ditto for the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Colombo, which have called on their citizens in Sri Lanka to “exercise the utmost caution and avoid gatherings”.
On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the situation in Sri Lanka, calling on all parties to exercise restraint.
Sri Lanka is the scene of massive protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Wickremesinghe announced last June that the Sri Lankan economy had completely collapsed and that Colombo would not even be able to pay for its oil imports, for lack of foreign currency.
Sri Lanka is enduring the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. The country of 22 million people is hit by food and fuel shortages, power cuts, record inflation at more than 50% and a abysmal debt. The Covid-19 pandemic had caused a significant drop in income from tourism and expatriate remittances.
*Translated from Arabic by Hajer Cherni
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