PM tells CNN IMF priorities align with Govt.’s own

Daily FT and Newswire report that Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya discussed Sri Lanka’s IMF programme in an interview with CNN. She said the government had decided to continue the programme even though her party had previously opposed it.

Newswire reports that Amarasuriya said the agreement was already signed when the new government took office and that the administration felt it had little choice but to proceed. She said earlier experiences with the IMF had shaped her party’s opposition, while subsequent discussions with the institution had been constructive and the IMF had been approachable.

Newswire reports that Amarasuriya said the government had raised concerns with the IMF about governance, corruption and fiscal discipline. Daily FT and Newswire report that she said several IMF priorities matched the government’s own objectives, informing its decision to continue the programme. She also identified economic stability as an immediate priority after the election.

Newswire reports that Amarasuriya said the new government faced pressure to show it could govern, with many people expecting it to fail. On the country’s recovery after the 2022 economic crisis, she described progress and attributed it to fiscal management, financial discipline, efforts to reduce corruption and waste, and governance reforms.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.