The Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake - President, Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Minister of Digital Economy

## Summary President Dissanayake addressed Parliament on the economic and social implications of the ongoing Middle East conflict for Sri Lanka, emphasising that while no country is immune to global instability, the government has adequate short-term mitigation plans in place. He provided detailed current fuel stockpile figures, citing approximately 33 days of diesel cover, 40 days of petrol cover, and 49 days of Jet A-1 cover, with multiple confirmed inbound supply vessels scheduled through the end of March. To address the country's primary vulnerability — insufficient storage capacity — he outlined a series of infrastructure investments totalling several billion rupees, including expansion of the Kolonnawa and Muthurajawela tank farms, rehabilitation of Trincomalee storage tanks, a new Jet A-1 pipeline to Katunayake, and an Expression of Interest process to double the capacity of the Sapugaskanda refinery from 50,000 to 100,000 barrels per day. He acknowledged public anxiety rooted in recent memories of the 2022 fuel crisis and stated that practical assurances, not words alone, are required to prevent societal instability, while calling for a broader international commitment to peaceful resolution of the conflict.