By Easwaran Rutnam
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will push Sri Lanka to meets its commitments on economic reforms when a delegation visits Sri Lanka next month.
IMF Communications Director Gerry Rice said that the IMF, during a staff visit to Colombo next month, will focus on the topics discussed between IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and a Sri Lankan delegation last week.
A delegation led by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera met Lagarde in Washington last week to urge the IMF to resume its funding programme with Sri Lanka.
The IMF funding programme was suspended during the political crisis late last year but the IMF has agreed to reconsider the move.
“Sri Lanka stressed a continued commitment to the economic reform agenda under an IMF-supported programme and they agreed that a strong policy mix with effective implementation of that agenda is key to strengthening confidence and helping to put Sri Lanka back on a sustainable, high quality growth path that would benefit its people,” Rice said.
He said there will be an IMF team in Colombo in mid-February to resume programme discussions and the elements mentioned by Lagarde in a statement following the talks with the Sri Lankan delegation would be the main topics of discussion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will push Sri Lanka to meets its commitments on economic reforms when a delegation visits Sri Lanka next month.
IMF Communications Director Gerry Rice said that the IMF, during a staff visit to Colombo next month, will focus on the topics discussed between IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and a Sri Lankan delegation last week.
A delegation led by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera met Lagarde in Washington last week to urge the IMF to resume its funding programme with Sri Lanka.
The IMF funding programme was suspended during the political crisis late last year but the IMF has agreed to reconsider the move.
“Sri Lanka stressed a continued commitment to the economic reform agenda under an IMF-supported programme and they agreed that a strong policy mix with effective implementation of that agenda is key to strengthening confidence and helping to put Sri Lanka back on a sustainable, high quality growth path that would benefit its people,” Rice said.
He said there will be an IMF team in Colombo in mid-February to resume programme discussions and the elements mentioned by Lagarde in a statement following the talks with the Sri Lankan delegation would be the main topics of discussion.