India has “really helped” Sri Lanka in its efforts to cope with the island’s economic crash, the island nation’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said, however observing that aid coming in from different sources has put Sri Lanka “in the middle of geopolitics”.
Over a month after his unexpected appointment — following former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation amid unceasing anti-government protests over the crisis — Mr. Wickremesinghe spoke to The Hindu in his Colombo office on Saturday. Attired in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, the six-time premier sounded surprisingly upbeat in possibly the toughest assignment of his political career of nearly half a century. “It’s hectic, this is a new experience. I am working eight days a week,” he laughed.
Outlining his immediate plans for economic recovery the 73-year-old PM, who is also the Finance Minister, said the government hopes to firm up the staff level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of June. “Then we have to wait for the debt restructuring plan. That will give us a clear indication of what we have to do. By July, I also hope to bring in the interim budget,” he said. Speaking of a “donor conference” where Sri Lanka will seek further foreign aid, Mr. Wickremesinghe said: “We have got to ensure that India, China, Japan all are singing the same tune.” Sri Lanka is “in the middle of geopolitics”, he said, referring to assistance from the Quad, mainly through its members India and Japan, and China.
