Politics

Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Sri Lanka next month, as confirmed by a senior IMF official. Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, shared this information with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during a meeting on Wednesday, the 28th. He stated, “She will be here to review the success of the program and to show our support for you.” An IMF team, led by Srinivasan and including Deputy Director for Asia and the Pacific Sanjaya Panth, Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou, and Resident Representative Martha Woldemichael, recently arrived in Sri Lanka. Their purpose was to evaluate the damage from Cyclone Ditwah and they held discussions with the President at the Presidential Secretariat. During the meeting, Krishna Srinivasan mentioned, “This is my fourth trip to Sri Lanka. For the first time, I visited areas outside Colombo for two days. I want to highlight three things from my visits. First, this country is very beautiful and has great potential for success. Second, I witnessed the effects of the natural disaster firsthand. I saw flooding in many areas and roads that need repairs. We extend our sympathies to you and the people of Sri Lanka for the lives lost and the disaster's impact. Third, I spoke with many people who showed great appreciation for the government’s efforts, especially in governance reform. I wanted to share these observations because usually, we only visit Colombo for meetings. This time, I learned a lot from my travels outside the city. We send our heartfelt condolences for the disaster. The program is progressing very well.”