Sri Lankan President reaffirms commitment to IMF program

Colombo, Oct 4 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed his government's broad agreement in principle with the objectives of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program during a meeting with IMF officials.However, the president stressed the need to achieve these goals through alternative methods that would ease the burden on the people, the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a statement on Thursday.The meeting focused on the progress of Sri Lanka's ongoing IMF program, the PMD said, Xinhua news agency reported.The IMF delegation appreciated Dissanayake's commitment to the program's objectives and expressed openness to discussing the alternative strategies proposed by the Sri Lankan government, according to the PMD.

In March 2023, the IMF approved a 48-month Extended Fund Facility of approximately 3 billion US dollars to support Sri Lanka's economic reform and recovery efforts.