New Delhi/Washington, Apr 14 (FN Agency) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has expressed India’s commitment to support Sri Lanka in dealing with its current economic crisis. She was addressing a high-level event on the Sri Lankan debt issue on the sidelines of the IMF- World Bank WB Spring Meetings in Washington. Suzuki Shunichi, Finance Minister of Japan and Emmanuel Moulin, Director General of the Treasury, France, and Shehan Semasinghe, State Minister of Finance, Sri Lanka, were present in the meeting on Thursday. Sri Lankan President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe participated virtually.
The purpose of the event was to demonstrate the multilateral cooperation regarding the debt restructuring process among the creditors, together with Sri Lanka, a statement said. In the event, the ministers announced the launch of the debt restructuring negotiation process on Sri Lanka under the three Co-Chairs: India, Japan, and France, to lead coordinated debt restructuring of Sri Lanka. Finance Minister Sitharaman expressed India’s commitment to support Sri Lanka in dealing with its current economic crisis. She emphasised that a collaboration among creditors is important to ensure transparency and equality in treatment of all creditors in the debt restructuring discussions, the statement said.