Sri Lanka to restart bailout talks with IMF in August – president

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrives to inaugurate a new session of parliament and deliver his first policy statement, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka Aug. 3, 2022. REUTERS/ Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO  – Sri Lanka’s new President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on Wednesday that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package would restart in August, as the country wrestles with its worst economic crisis in decades.

“We are confident of successfully completing discussions,” Wickremesinghe said in a speech, in which he also called on lawmakers to come together to form an all-party government.

Wickremesinghe took office last month after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country and then quit following mass protests over his mishandling of the economy. Uditha Jayasinge