Sri Lanka –IMF talks on April 18

• Finance Minister Ali Sabry to lead delegation 
• Members of the delegation is yet to be announced
• The country is experiencing its worst economic crisis in the post –independence period, with the inflation soaring and people taking to the streets in protest

By Kelum Bandara 

Finance Minister Ali Sabry will lead a delegation for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington on April 18 for debt restructuring. 

Previously, the government had planned for such negotiations with the IMF before the New Year. However, it was changed following the latest developments in the country resulting in the appointment of Mr. Sabry as the Finance Minister in place of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa who held it previously. 

Mr. Sabry told Daily Mirror that the meeting with the IMF will take place on April 18, but the composition of the delegation is yet to be announced. 

The government also brought about changes in the Central Bank with the appointment of former Senior Deputy Governor  Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe as its Governor. Besides, the government appointed Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardane as its Secretary. He is someone who has worked for the IMF earlier. 

The country is experiencing its worst economic crisis in the post –independence period, with the inflation soaring and people taking to the streets in protest. 

As a solution to the foreign exchange crisis, the government has been urged by various countries including the United States and European Union to strike an arrangement with the IMF. 
The main opposition has also demanded the same.