ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a virtual meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, focusing on further strengthening the partnership as the island nation successfully reaches the halfway mark of its $3 billion, 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.
“During the meeting, President Dissanayake expressed his profound appreciation for the IMF’s continued support in recovering from the catastrophic economic crisis of 2022,” President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement.
“He highlighted the significant progress Sri Lanka has made in implementing economic reforms, strengthening macroeconomic stability, supporting the vulnerable and improving governance.”
“He emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration to ensure the resilience of Sri Lanka’s economy amidst global economic uncertainties.”
The meeting comes a week after the global lender approved the third review of the IMF bailout package and subsequent disbursement of $334 million worth fourth tranche.
IMF chef Georgieva congratulated the President for ensuring macroeconomic stability and completing the 3rd review under the EFF, as well as the successful completion of the bond exchange and most of the debt restructuring.
“The Managing Director commended Sri Lanka’s efforts in pursuing key reforms and reaffirmed the IMF’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s economic agenda,” the PMF said.
“Georgieva underlined the importance of strengthening macroeconomic fundamentals with good governance frameworks, especially in the wake of high global uncertainties, slowing global growth, and rising global debt levels.”
“President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed his commitment to move forward with the IMF program while ensuring that the agreed-upon targets align with the aspirations of the Sri Lankan people, reflecting their strong democratic mandate.”
The President also emphasized the government’s dedication to implementing the necessary mechanisms to uplift the underprivileged while prioritizing the strengthening of social welfare expenditures as a key policy focus.
“The President highlighted the government’s dedication to enhancing state-owned enterprises through improved governance and cost-recovery pricing, including for electricity.”
Dissanayake also stressed the importance of securing foreign direct investment and support from multilateral partners to reduce debt
vulnerabilities and promote sustainable and inclusive growth.
“President Disanayake reassured the
IMF of the government’s commitment to successfully completing the remaining reviews under the EFF,” the PMD said.
Georgieva emphasized the need to persevere with the reform agenda under the program to decisively put Sri Lanka on the path to sustainable and equitable growth.
“She acknowledged that the journey to sustained recovery remains challenging, particularly given rapid global developments in technology and geopolitics.” (Colombo/March 08/2025)
