First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF Gita Gopinath (center) with State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe (left) and the Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe 

The Sri Lanka delegation that is currently in Washington D.C met with a senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss the way forward in the efforts taken to iron out the issues faced in the island nation.
Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe held talks with First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF Gita Gopinath on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Group (WBG) Annual Meetings.

The discussions focused on the issues pertaining to Sri Lankan economy and the measures taken by the relevant authorities to address the same. Gopinath took to Twitter to share an update on the meeting with the Sri Lankan officials.

“Had an excellent discussion with Sri Lankan Minister Shehan Semasinghe and CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe on the extreme challenges the country faces and the concrete steps being taken to tackle them,” tweeted Gopinath. A three member delegation is currently in Washington D.C to attend the 2022 Annual Meetings of the IMF and the WBG that will take place from October 10 to 16.  Along with the State Minister and the CB Governor, attending the event is Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana. The delegation left for the Annual Meetings on Sunday (9 October).

Sharing an update on the visit, the Ministry of Finance on Monday said the attending officials will hold discussions with the IMF on the possibility of obtaining further international assistance with regard to the prevailing economic crisis in Sri Lanka.  The delegation will hold crucial bilateral discussions with the IMF and the WB management and technical staff, as well as with officials of key nations. This will take place in addition to the bilateral meetings.