IMF concludes virtual mission in SL

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the virtual mission to Sri Lanka today following technical discussions with the economic team led by Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Secretary to the Treasury Mahinda Siriwardena.

The IMF Staff team was led by Peter Breuer, Chief of the Debt Capital Markets Division, Monetary and Capital Market Department, and Masahiro Nozaki, Mission Chief and Deputy Division Chief

In a statement to the media on the conclusion of the mission, the IMF said approval by the Executive Board of an IMF-supported program for Sri Lanka would require adequate assurances that debt sustainability will be restored.

Following is the statement in full:

Sri Lanka is facing difficult economic conditions and severe balance of payments problems. Recent economic indicators suggest that economic activities have been negatively affected by fuel and power shortages. Rising global food and oil prices have further added to the balance of payments pressures. Inflation has accelerated driven by many factors, including the shortages of goods, fuel price increases, and currency depreciation. In this context, we are deeply concerned about the impact of the ongoing crisis on the people, particularly the poor and vulnerable groups.

The IMF team held technical discussions on a comprehensive reform package to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. The team made good progress in assessing the economic situation and in identifying policy priorities to be taken going forward. The discussions focused on restoring fiscal sustainability while protecting the vulnerable and poor; ensuring credibility of the monetary policy and exchange rate regimes; preserving financial sector stability, and structural reforms to enhance growth and strengthen governance. We expect that these discussions will help the authorities formulate their reform program.

The team welcomed the appointment of financial and legal advisors to engage in a collaborative dialogue with their creditors as an important step towards restoring public debt sustainability. Since Sri Lanka’s public debt is assessed as unsustainable, approval by the Executive Board of an IMF-supported program for Sri Lanka would require adequate assurances that debt sustainability will be restored.

IMF staff will continue to monitor the economic and political situation very closely and engage with the authorities to formulate concrete measures under an IMF-supported program, as well as broader stakeholders to support a timely resolution of the crisis. We reaffirm our commitment to support Sri Lanka at this difficult time, in line with the IMF’s policies.

Staff expresses their gratitude to the authorities for their constructive engagement and support during the mission.